Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has a rich history of transformations. On Wednesday, it underwent another change with the removal of the Crew Access Arm, which astronauts used to board their spacecraft.
More than 60 years ago, construction workers created the footprint of this launch pad out of Florida's wetlands. Originally, NASA utilized the site for launching Saturn V rockets that sent astronauts to the Moon. The pad was later adapted for the Space Shuttle program, with the last shuttle departing from Pad 39A in 2011. Subsequently, NASA leased the site to SpaceX, which has used it for launching Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
SpaceX began its operations at Pad 39A in 2017 and introduced a new Crew Access Arm on the launch pad's tower the following year. This replaced the older, shuttle-era arm that connected to the spacecraft hatches. The updated arm was installed prior to the first test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a human-rated spacecraft, in 2019. Astronauts began utilizing this pathway, which is suspended over 200 feet above the ground, starting with the first crew flight on a Dragon spacecraft in 2020.
Currently, Pad 39A is receiving another upgrade as preparation for the launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket. Construction of a new launch tower dedicated to Starship is underway approximately 1,000 feet east of the existing tower, yet within the facility's circular boundary. SpaceX aims to conduct the inaugural Starship flight from Kennedy Space Center later this year, building on previous tests conducted at the company's Starbase site in South Texas.