{"id":9627,"date":"2026-02-06T20:07:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-shifts-away-from-dragon-launches-at-pad-39a-as-starship-looms\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T20:07:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:07:26","slug":"spacex-shifts-away-from-dragon-launches-at-pad-39a-as-starship-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-shifts-away-from-dragon-launches-at-pad-39a-as-starship-looms\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX shifts away from Dragon launches at pad 39A as Starship looms"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_72506\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72506\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72506\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260206_LC-39A.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260206_LC-39A.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260206_LC-39A-300x196.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-72506\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX works on the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s the end of an era as SpaceX transitions all of its planned Dragon flights from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<\/p>\n<p>During the predawn hours of Feb. 4, the company erected a Leibherr LR13000 crane beside the crew access tower at LC-39A. It then proceeded to secure a support structure around the crew access arm, either in preparation for removal or to support repair work.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement to Spaceflight Now, a NASA spokesperson said that SpaceX let the agency know about work it planned to perform on the crew access arm, but deferred to SpaceX for details. We reached out to SpaceX for comment, but didn\u2019t receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n<p>During a Jan. 30 news conference at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Lee Echerd, SpaceX\u2019s senior mission manager for Human Spaceflight Mission Management, talked about the shift for the company. He explained why there\u2019s been a lack of Falcon 9 launches from LC-39A since December.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great to have two launch pads off the Florida coast. For our manifest going forward, we\u2019re planning to launch most of our Falcon 9 launches off of Space Launch Complex 40. That will include all Dragon missions going forward,\u201d Echerd said. \u201cThat will allow our Cape team to focus at 39A on Falcon Heavy launches and hopefully our first Starship launches later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2018826602063519857&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F02%2F06%2Fspacex-shifts-away-from-dragon-launches-at-pad-39a-as-starship-looms%2F&amp;sessionId=f1737761b83b589ed49c85e0d4ba1a112c31428c&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2018826602063519857\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461447022546357=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Dragon arrives at the hangar at pad 40 ahead of the upcoming Crew-12 launch to the @Space_Station pic.twitter.com\/Sq18mdmR39<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 3, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX\u2019s vice president of Launch, made similar comments regarding upcoming changes to its pad at the Kennedy Space Center in a social media post in mid-December.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorth noting that [Starlink 6-99] was also our last single stick from 39A for some time as we put full focus on Falcon Heavy launches and ramping Starship from the Cape!\u201d he wrote.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>A NASA spokesperson clarified in a statement on Thursday how this change factors into the agency\u2019s ability to fly its astronauts to the space station.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program does not specify a specific launch pad for crew rotation missions and maintains a launch capability at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cIf needed, SpaceX could still support NASA crewed launch operations from pad 39A in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX began the process of modifying SLC-40 to support crewed missions back in 2023 and it was completed in 2024. The first Dragon mission to launch from this site to the International Space Station was the CRS-30 cargo flight in March 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The first humans to launch from here were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosomonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on the Crew-9 mission in September 2024. Four more crew members are on deck to fly from SLC-40 with the Crew-12 mission slated to launch no earlier than Feb. 11.<\/p>\n<p>NASA officials previously said that having the additional launch capability for crewed missions in Florida was a big benefit, since it gave the agency options to work around busy launch manifests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have guessed this ten years ago out here at KSC, but what\u2019s become one of the biggest constraints to launching is pad availability because business is booming here at the Space Coast and at Kennedy with not just SpaceX, but all of the folks launching,\u201d said Daniel Forrestel, Launch Integration Manager for NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program back in February 2024. \u201cBringing 40 online just gives us more flexibility to continue our primary mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/onClX3ktT8M?si=-QUYl41DF6_kVB7J\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Starship looming<\/h4>\n<p>About an hour before Echerd\u2019s remarks during the Jan. 30 Crew-12 briefing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the publication of a pair of documents permitting SpaceX to move forward with up to 44 launches and 88 landings annually of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket as well as construction of infrastructure to support such operations, from an environmental standpoint.<\/p>\n<p>The evaluation came about half a year after the FAA published a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in August 2025 and took in public comment as part of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpaceX\u2019s activities would continue to fulfill the United States\u2019 expectation that increased capabilities and reduced space transportation costs will enhance exploration (including within the Artemis and Human Landing System programs), support U.S. leadership in space, and make space access more affordable,\u201d the FAA\u2019s Record of Decision document stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy providing a reusable launch vehicle with increased lift capability that returns to its launch site, the Proposed Action would reduce the cost of a launch and increase efficiency, delivering greater access to space and enabling cost-effective delivery of cargo and people to the moon and Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In order to execute the full realization of Starship at LC-39A, SpaceX proposed about 70,000 square meters (roughly 800,000 square feet) of infrastructure changes \u201cto include launch and landing pads and towers, propellant generation, and stormwater\/deluge ponds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In order to comply with existing environmental laws, the FAA stated that SpaceX needs to coordinate with the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for its water use. SpaceX is estimated to use 297 million gallons (1.1 billion liters) of water annually.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpaceX would construct onsite bulk storage for water and commodities and would reuse or recycle as appropriate,\u201d the FAA wrote. \u201cBased on the analysis of potential effects [\u2026], the FAA does not anticipate significant effects to utilities and infrastructure distribution systems and service capacity.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The FAA said the Kennedy Space Center Fire Marshal and Safety Office will assess the construction of a liquified natural gas (LNG) facility. This will require additions, like \u201ca flammable vapor gas dispersion zone [and] design sufficient to withstand wind forces without loss of structural or functional integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil the LNG facility is constructed, commodities such as liquid oxygen and liquid methane would be trucked in by contractors,\u201d the FAA wrote.<\/p>\n<p>When assessing public safety, the FAA noted that closures related to static fire tests, launches and reentries could account for nearly 10 percent of a calendar year. It estimates up to 396 hours for static fire tests and 462 hours for launches and reentries.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R3tmZCjpMf8?si=Z7GckDky-TJswRgi\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The timing of the first launch of Starship from Florida is still up in the air, but may come as soon as the second half of 2026. During an address at the 7th Space Coast Symposium and Expo in August 2025, Dontchev assured members community members that Starship would be a proven rocket before it starts launching from the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever has there been a case where a rocket at this scale has been tested and flown as many times as it has will actually come to Florida for the first time. That\u2019s never happened. It\u2019s usually Florida is the test range,\u201d Dontchev said. \u201cThe New Glenn, Artemis, all these rockets launch here for the first time, even Falcon. That\u2019s not going to be the case with Starship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStarship, you\u2019re going to get a vetted machine that shows up ready to party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next test flight of Starship will be the debut of the third iteration of the vehicle, called Starship Version 3, which features, among other upgrades, new versions of the Raptor engines built by SpaceX. A launch date hasn\u2019t been announced, but SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the test flight could take off from Starbase, Texas, as soon as early March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX works on the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now It\u2019s the end of an era as SpaceX transitions all of its planned Dragon flights from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[479,678,766,190,675,316,317],"class_list":["post-9627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-falcon-9","tag-falcon-heavy","tag-lc-39a","tag-nasa","tag-slc-40","tag-spacex","tag-starship"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9627\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}