On July 8 , 2011 , Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on the last Shuttle flight and the last launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A. Now , almost six year later , the launch pad is about to be used again for the first time by SpaceX.
Pad 39A in Florida is a historic site , used not only for Space Shuttle launches but also the Brobdingnagian Saturn V rocket that strike astronauts to the Moon . After the Shuttle was retired , the pad went unused , until SpaceX come onto the scene . In 2014 , NASA gave Elon Musk ’s company a20 - year leaseto exclusively employ 39A in the future .
Originally , it had been hop they might start up launch from there in 2015 , but or else they ’ve been using nearby Cape Canaveral in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California . Their next launching in a week or so , though , is going to be the first to fly from 39A since Atlantis .
This will be on February 3 , expected between 12.07am and 2.37am EST ( 5.07am and 7.37am GMT ) , and will see a Falcon 9 rocket carry the EchoStar 23 communications satellite for the EchoStar Corporation into range , intended to leave verbatim - to - home television broadcast service over Brazil , althoughSpace.comnotes they are still awaiting a permission from the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) .
Unlike SpaceX’smost late launchlast week , this one wo n’t set down back on Earth – but it ’s likely to be one of the company’slast ever expendable rocket engine . On February 15 , there will be another launch from 39A , as SpaceX found its later Dragon consignment mission to the International Space Station ( ISS ) .
The company has revamped Pad 39A , too . In the past , Space shuttlecock would be bestow in on a transporter from several miles away . Now , ahorizontal integration facilitynext to the pad will let SpaceX more chop-chop get its skyrocket out and ready for liftoff .
SpaceX ’s most late rocket launch on January 14 , 2017 . SpaceX
“ Seeing a renowned erstwhile pad of paper number back to life will be a huge positive degree for those who feel we ’re now over the post - Shuttle retirement hill and looking to the future again , ” Chris Bergin , managing editor in chief for NASASpaceflight , toldGizmodo .
And there ’s going to be enough more upheaval from 39A in the time to come . SpaceX is hop to practice it and its neighboring digs , 39B , for the launching of both Falcon 9 Eruca vesicaria sativa and its coming Falcon Heavy , expected to plunge later this year . It also plans to apply it for its approaching man launch , starting in 2018 , while NASA will use 39B for its Space Launch System ( SLS ) rocket from 2018 .
The Space Shuttle might be retired , but thanks mostly to SpaceX , we ’re about to get a taste of what the future of spaceflight holds .
