GoKawiilOne of the United States’ most storied space launch sites has been cleared of its decades-old support towers, making way for modern rockets to use the pad. Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Space Force Station is arguably better known for what did not lift off from there than for what did.
A series of demolition charges on Tuesday (June 16) brought down the access tower, mobile service tower, and what remained of the assembly building at SLC-6—pronounced “slick-six”—in southern California. Once the location for the US Air Force’s first effort to put humans into space and later, the almost West Coast launch site for the space shuttle, SLC-6 will next be used by SpaceX in support of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions.
Credit: Space Launch Delta 30/Tech. Sgt. Draeke Layman Vandenberg Space Force Base personnel watch as the assembly building at Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) is toppled on June 16, 2026, to make way for SpaceX’s use of the site. Vandenberg Space Force Base personnel watch as the assembly building at Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) is toppled on June 16, 2026, to make way for SpaceX’s use of the site. Credit: Space Launch Delta 30/Tech. Sgt. Draeke Layman
“Space Launch Complex-6 represents six decades of American innovation and our unwavering commitment to securing space superiority,” Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg, said in a statement. “By modernizing this historic footprint in partnership with our defense industrial base, we are building directly upon the foundation of our pioneers.”
The demolition was known to be planned but was only announced hours after it was completed at 11 am PDT (1800 GMT) on Tuesday. The detonations brought down the access tower first, followed by the mobile service tower and then the large American flag-adorned assembly building. Typical of Vandenberg weather, a marine layer of low clouds and fog added a somber look to the scene.
Have pad, will not launch
SLC-6 was first developed beginning in 1966 to support the Air Force’s first effort to send astronauts into Earth orbit to conduct reconnaissance using a vehicle and hardware adapted from NASA’s Project Gemini. The site’s mobile service tower and concrete apron were built for the Titan IIIM modified missile, but the program was canceled in June 1969 before any launches from SLC-6 could be conducted.
Credit: U.S. Air Force/1369th Audiovisual Squadron Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) as seen under construction in 1966 in support of the US Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) as seen under construction in 1966 in support of the US Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. Credit: U.S. Air Force/1369th Audiovisual Squadron
Looking to recoup some of its investment from the MOL infrastructure, the Air Force next chose SLC-6 as its launch site for Department of Defense dedicated space shuttle missions. With the intention of permanently moving the orbiter Discovery to California, the Air Force designed SLC-6 differently from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, most notably by stacking the vehicle directly on the pad rather than in a more distant assembly building.