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SpaceX is in the final stages of certifying a second pad for astronaut launches, which will enable the company to reach its ambition of sending more astronauts into space.
To date, SpaceX has performed 13 crewed missions. All of these have been launched from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre.
The Kennedy Space Centre, which opened on 1 July 1962, is a multiuser spaceport with more than 90 private-sector partners and nearly 250 partnership agreements. It’s the only pad currently certified for human spaceflight.
With SpaceX keen to expand its crew launch capacity, it has long intended to upgrade a second pad – SLC-40 – at the neighbouring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and certify it for human spaceflight.
The upgrade of this second pad is going to plan, with SpaceX having already installed a crew access arm to the launch tower – a key piece of infrastructure that allows astronauts access to the Dragon spacecraft.
The company has also installed a new emergency egress system, which stretches from the crew tower atop the tower at SLC-40 to the ground. It is designed to get astronauts off the tower in a hurry in the event of an emergency before liftoff.
According to a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) by SpaceX’s vice president of launch Kiko Dontchev, the newly installed system is intended to facilitate the company’s expansion towards larger towers and spacecraft, envisioning the potential accommodation of up to 100 individuals on Starship missions.
This slide test is the latest part of SpaceX’s effort to certify SLC-40 for astronaut launches.
SpaceX has launched many (uncrewed) missions from SLC-40 over the years. The latest one is due for liftoff later today (21 March) – if all goes according to plan.
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch a robotic Dragon cargo capsule towards the International Space Station from the pad on Thursday at 4.55pm EDT (8.55pm GMT).
To watch the launch live, visit space.com
