#^SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke, and others make major progress on Cape launch facilities
The two spaceport launch facilities in the Cape Canaveral area — NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the U.S. Space Force’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) — are on the verge of even bigger changes than have been seen in the last few years. In a recent flyover of the Cape, NSF obtained new imagery that shows just how dramatically things are set to develop in the near future.
SpaceX is making significant progress on its Starship program facilities for KSC’s Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), the upcoming Giga Bay near Roberts Road, and even Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) on the CCSFS side of the Cape. The company has also begun preliminary work on a new landing facility at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), its primary Falcon 9 launch pad in Florida.
However, SpaceX is not the “only game in town” for launches from Florida, though it may seem like it given the company’s prolific launch cadence. Blue Origin is showing signs of progress toward launching its second New Glenn rocket, and the company, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is embarking on a major expansion of its facilities at Exploration Park.
Stoke Space, based in the Pacific Northwest, and Relativity, headquartered in Long Beach, California, plan to join SpaceX and Blue Origin in the spaceflight market with their own reusability-enabled launch vehicles. The companies are racing to finish launch facilities at CCSFS for their vehicles: the fully reusable Nova for Stoke and the partially reusable Terran R for Relativity.
NASA is also progressing with processing activities for the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the Moon since December 1972. The Artemis program is also outfitting the Mobile Launcher 2 (ML2) with systems necessary to support Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B flights, even as the program and NASA face budget uncertainty from Congress and the White House.
Five Starship tower segments thought to be for SLC-37 at the Roberts Road facility. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
SpaceXNSF’s flyover imagery shows Starship-related progress underway at multiple sites. While the launch pads are considered “stage zero” for Starship flights, the Roberts Road facility is where pad items, both large and small, are fabricated or delivered before being assembled on site.
Five Starship tower segments were spotted at Roberts Road, with four of them completed, a fifth nearing completion, and work started on a sixth. This tower would be the fourth Starship tower in the program when finished. The company plans to build a number of towers, some of which will be for launches and others for catching returning ships.
The segments seen at Roberts Road appear to be for a launch tower rather than a catch tower, as the fourth and fifth segments have hardware for a ship quick-disconnect mount, similar to the towers at Starbase in Texas. It is not currently known with certainty whether catch towers would have a quick disconnect arm.
The launch mount for the LC-39A Starship pad seen in its assembly tent. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
The quick disconnect arm hardware seen at Roberts Road has four arm connections, similar to the quick disconnect arm hardware seen at Starbase’s Pad 2. Earlier quick disconnect arm hardware had three connections; it is speculated that the fourth connection is for the upcoming Block 3 Starship.
Though the Block 3 vehicle is stretched, Block 3 will sit lower on the launch mount, necessitating these modifications. The LC-39A and Starbase Pad 1 towers will need this modification to support Block 3, which will be flying from Flight 12 onward. It is not known what Pad 1’s fate will be after Flight 11, but LC-39A’s quick disconnect arm is being tested and outfitted.
LC-39A’s launch mount, of the same design as that of Pad 2, is being built in a rolling tent on the Roberts Road premises. The mount has all four of its manifolds on site; these manifolds are designed to feed the top deck with water to cool it from the intense heat of a Starship launch.
Oblique view of Cape Canaveral launch pads from SLC-41 on the left to LC-36 on the right. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
Each tower has nine segments, so the tower being constructed at Roberts Road is about halfway through construction. This tower is likely being built for the former United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV launch facility at SLC-37, which SpaceX is now converting for use with Starship.
The NSF flyover of SLC-37 also showed possible flattening work on the area where the Delta IV infrastructure used to be, as clearance operations continue on the complex. Foundation work could start very soon.
The flyover revealed significant progress on Starship-related construction at LC-39A since the last flyover in August. The flame trench for the Starship pad now has several wall pieces installed, and workers continue pouring concrete into the trench. They are also working on the two flame bucket halves before their installation onto A-frames in the trench.
LC-39A during NSF’s Sept. 19 flyover. (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF/L2)
Teams have also installed three of the four legs that will support the launch mount, and are in the early stages of building a service structure, which will house plumbing and power lines that connect the launch pad to ground systems. This structure is expected to be completed in a few months.
Support structures are also in work for ground systems, and six cryogenic tanks — four large and two small — have been installed in the area where it is thought that the liquid oxygen storage tanks will be. Propellant transfer lines from the tank farm area to the launch mount and pad are also being installed, and at least one subcooler is now in place at the site.
One large Liebherr LR 11000 crane is now at the LC-39A site. This crane had originally been ordered to build a Mega Bay in Florida, but the plan was changed, and it was instead used for the Mega Bay building in Texas. Two LR 11000 cranes were used to lift the launch mount next to Pad 2 at Starbase. Two LR 11000 cranes — or one LR 13000, the world’s most powerful conventional crawler crane — will be needed to place the launch mount at the pad next to the tower.
Closeup image of crane work and tents at LC-39A’s Starship pad. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
Another large area of activity to watch over the coming months and years is progress on the massive Giga Bay, which will be about half the size of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) when complete. Workers have poured a large amount of concrete and are installing four tower cranes in what will be the transfer aisles, where Starships, boosters, and parts will be moved around after the building is finished.
While Starship operations are building up rapidly, SpaceX is also busy with changes to its existing Falcon 9 launch pad at SLC-40. The company is clearing an area for a new landing pad at SLC-40, as leases for the former Launch Complex-13 are set to expire, where the company’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 are located. SpaceX hopes to have the new landing pad operational early next year.
Closeup image of SLC-40 at CCSFS. (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF/L2)
The company plans to launch up to 120 flights per year from SLC-40 alone, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released its environmental assessment with a mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), which clears the way for the increased cadence and the landing pad. The mitigated FONSI requires SpaceX to carry out some actions to reduce the environmental impacts of these activities as part of the FAA’s approval.
While SpaceX is looking toward the future, the company continues to fly Falcon 9 vehicles at a pace poised to break last year’s record of 132 launches. NSF’s flyover spotted Falcon booster B1094 as it was in a horizontal position after its recovery at Landing Zone 2 following the NG-23 mission, as well as the engine section of the B1086 booster that was lost after a post-landing fire during the Starlink Group 12-20 mission in March. B1085 was also rolling out during the flyover to support the Starlink Group 10-27 launch, which took place on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Blue Origin’s Exploration Park campus during the NSF flyover on Sept. 19. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
Blue OriginExploration Park, Blue Origin’s main operations site in the Cape Canaveral area, is undergoing continued work and expansion. Meanwhile, the company’s New Glenn partially reusable heavy-lift rocket shows signs of preparation for its second launch, scheduled for later this fall on the NASA ESCAPADE mission.
Though Blue Origin has only flown one New Glenn so far, it is building and expanding its Cape facilities to handle an expected large increase in launch cadence. The company is also developing hardware for future flights beyond ESCAPADE, with a second stage planned for flight four being tested at the 2CAT second-stage cleaning and testing facility.
The Metal Forming Facility’s exterior is close to completion, while foundation work is underway for both a new hardware integration facility for New Glenn and an expansion for the already large main production building.
Second stage for a future New Glenn flight being tested at the 2CAT facility. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
Another expansion on the northwest corner of Exploration Park, featuring a new off-site light manufacturing facility and a vertical refurbishment facility for boosters between Exploration Park and Launch Complex 36 (LC-36), is also planned or already underway.
The Lunar Plant 1 at Exploration Park is already starting operations. Future Blue Moon Mk1 landers will be built here, with a transport container typically used for Mk1 landers currently staged outside the facility where Mk1 is being constructed.
Blue Origin also recently assembled and tested a large deployable sunshield at Lunar Plant 1, which will protect both Lunar Transporter and the Blue Moon Mk2 crewed lunar lander while they are docked.
The first test article assembled and tested in Lunar Plant 1: our Lunar Transporter sunshield! 
Designed to be one of the largest deployable shields in space, it will protect both our Transporter and Blue Moon MK2 Crew Lander from radiation while the two vehicles are… pic.twitter.com/rhyPLmypJx
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) September 22, 2025
The New Glenn Transporter was seen moving past the VAB on Sept. 21, which could indicate a possible rollout of New Glenn Flight 2’s Glenn Stage 1 first stage as soon as Oct. 5.
Workers have conducted launch checkouts at LC-36 with the New Glenn Simulator in the meantime, and a set of fairing transport trailers is parked at the door of the hangar near the launch tower for possible handling and movement tests.
All of the activities at LC-36 related to New Glenn show that Blue Origin is working toward a launch before the end of the year. New Glenn’s first launch was in January of this year, and the company had hoped to launch the second flight as early as this spring or summer. However, additional work was needed, which appears to be nearing completion now.
Closeup of Stoke Space’s LC-14 complex. (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF/L2)
Stoke, Relativity, and ArtemisWhile SpaceX and Blue Origin are expanding their already large footprints in the Cape Canaveral area, newcomers Stoke Space and Relativity Space are hard at work building up their launch pads for flights that could take place as early as next year. NASA’s Artemis program is also working on the ML2 for SLS flights past Artemis III while also working on Artemis II flight preparations.
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Stoke Space’s launch facility at CCSFS’s Launch Complex-14 (LC-14) now has a flame diverter installed that will channel the exhaust from Nova’s seven first stage Zenith engines, which utilize liquid methane and liquid oxygen, away from the pad. LC-14’s four lightning protection towers are noticeably taller and taking shape, and a central umbilical tower is also under construction.
The integration hangar for LC-14 has its exterior panels mostly in place, allowing crews to work inside, protected from the weather. A new water tank for the pad’s sound suppression and fire safety systems has also been installed next to the hangar.
Besides the progress seen at LC-14 from NSF’s last flyover of the Cape, development of the Nova vehicle itself is progressing at the company’s facilities in the state of Washington. The second stage’s structural qualification is now complete, indicating that the company is on track for a possible 2026 launch.
Relativity Space’s LC-16 complex. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
Like Stoke Space, Relativity Space is in the advanced stages of developing a partially reusable launch vehicle using methane and liquid oxygen as propellants. Unlike Stoke Space, though, Relativity Space has flown a single rocket from its launch facility at CCSFS.
Relativity’s only launch so far was the Terran 1 test flight from Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) on March 22, 2023. However, after that flight’s failure, the company pivoted entirely to developing the partially reusable Terran R.
LC-16’s large integration hangar now has a more finished appearance with wall and roof panels installed. This hangar is not only for rocket processing but also appears to house a payload processing facility in its raised area, and also has a lower area for office space. Foundation work is underway next to LC-16’s flame trench, which could be for the complex’s water tower or for lightning protection towers. More infrastructure work is planned for the coming months.
The Terran R first stage for the rocket’s first flight now has all of its structural barrels complete, while the first flight engine for the stage is complete. The company is testing the rocket’s thrust section, as well as the second stage’s Aeon V engine, and is attempting to have its launch pad and rocket ready for its first test flight sometime next year.
Mobile Launcher 2, being built for the SLS Block 1B, is seen during NSF’s Sept. 19 flyover. (Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF/L2)
NSF’s flyover also showed progress on the NASA Artemis program’s ML2 parked by the VAB. The Tail Service Mast Umbilical is now installed on ML2’s main deck, while the Orion Service Module Umbilical and supports for the Crew Access Arm are now installed further up the tower. The ML2 will not be used for the next two Artemis missions but will be needed for Artemis IV and subsequent missions, if these missions are flown.
The SLS rocket for Artemis II is almost completely stacked with validation and checkouts complete, but still requires the stacking of the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system tower. The Orion Stage Adapter is at KSC and will be rolled out to the VAB within the coming days for installation atop the SLS Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). The Orion spacecraft’s installation is expected sometime in early October.
The Orion spacecraft itself is located in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF), and the Launch Abort System (LAS) rocket and fairing have been installed, with only final close-out work remaining. Following the stacking of Orion and its LAS on SLS, the Artemis II SLS rocket will be fully assembled — a critical step in the journey to launching the mission.
(Lead image: KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39A seen during NSF’s flyover on Sept. 19. Credit: Max Evans for NSF/L2)
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SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke, and others make major progress on Cape launch facilities appeared first on
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