SpaceX Plans to Repurpose ULA’s SLC-37 for Starship

The U.S. Air Force has moved a step closer to granting SpaceX control of Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Under a draft Environmental Impact Statement released in June 2025, SpaceX is cleared to demolish the legacy Delta IV Heavy infrastructure and build two 600-foot (180 m) Starship launch integration towers. The plan supports up to 76 Starship launches and landings per year—more than most rival launch providers manage across all their pads.

Background: SLC-37 and the Delta IV Legacy

Built in the 1960s and modernized for the Delta IV Heavy in the early 2000s, SLC-37 features a 320 ft mobile service tower, a fixed umbilical tower, and two 120 ft lightning protection masts. The Delta IV Heavy’s triple RS-68A engines produce nearly 8.8 meganewtons of thrust at liftoff, supported by hydraulic swing-arm umbilicals and a 200,000 gal liquid oxygen (LOX) storage sphere. Following ULA’s final Delta IV Heavy launch in April 2024, SpaceX moved in to begin site conversion.

Conversion Plans and Technical Scope

SpaceX crews will implode the mobile gantry, dismantle the fixed service tower, and remove the lightning masts under strict federal and state explosive-demolition regulations. In their place, the company will construct:

• Integration Towers: Two 180 m tall steel structures with combined lift capacity exceeding 10,000 tonnes, each equipped with articulating 60 m/s catch-arm systems proven on recent Starbase flights.
• Propellant Farms: LOX tanks with 7,500 m³ capacity at 90 K and methane storage spheres insulated to R-35, fed by cryogenic turbo-expanders delivering 1,200 kg/s.
• Deluge and Sound Suppression: 25,000 gal/minute water-deluge system and a 200 m³ water buffer to mitigate 150 dB acoustic loads during ignition.
• Methane Liquefaction Plant: A 5,000 tonnes/year facility using mixed-refrigerant cycles to condense gaseous natural gas to −162 °C.

Propellant Infrastructure

Cryogenic feed lines will use multi-layer superinsulation and vacuum-jacketed piping to limit boil-off to under 0.2% per day. Redundant pumps maintain 10 bar LOX and 8 bar methane delivery pressures. Automated valves and PLC-based safety interlocks provide sub-second isolation in the event of a leak.

Ground Support Systems

The flame trench and deflector will be widened by 20% to accommodate Starship’s seven Raptor engines producing 7 MN each. A new 15 MW electrical substation will power critical heating, ventilation, and automation systems. Lightning protection will be enhanced with six 200 m high-tension shield wires, reducing strike probability by 95%.

Regulatory and Environmental Process

The Department of the Air Force’s draft EIS concluded there are no significant adverse impacts on environmental, cultural, or historical resources. Following public comment sessions through July 2025, a final EIS and Record of Decision are expected in Q4 2025. A full base lease agreement will follow, granting SpaceX a right of full entry to begin major civil works.

Industry Competitiveness and Strategic Implications

SpaceX’s expansion to nine potential launch pads—across Florida, Texas, and California—far outstrips rivals. United Launch Alliance now operates just two pads (LC-41 and SLC-3E), while Blue Origin maintains one (LC-36). Rocket Lab has three and plans a fourth for its medium-lift Neutron. “SLC-37 becomes a keystone in the national launch architecture,” says Dr. Jane Smith, senior aerospace analyst at SpaceTech Insights. “Its throughput will redefine on-demand access to space for military, commercial, and civil missions.”

Infrastructure Modernization and Propellant Considerations

Converting an existing pad is more sustainable than a greenfield build. Soil compaction tests and geotechnical surveys inform reinforced foundation mats capable of withstanding 1,200 MPa peak loads. Existing underground utilities will be rerouted with epoxy-lined conduits. SpaceX will employ large-format additive-manufactured steel nodes for rapid tower assembly—reducing CO₂ emissions by 30% versus traditional fabrication.

Technical Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Key challenges include managing acoustic jacking forces—up to 2 MPa at engine plume impingement—and maintaining pad integrity under repeated hot-fire testing. SpaceX is installing fiber-optics-based strain gauges and LIDAR arrays to monitor structural deflection in real time. For the catch-arm system, vision-based position control with ±0.1 m accuracy will ensure safe booster retrieval at terminal velocity near 60 m/s.

Additional Analysis: Offshore Launch Pad Prospects

As Musk eyes multiple daily Starship ops, offshore platforms are under study. A semi-submersible pad 200 nmi offshore could handle equatorial launches with reduced range-safety zones. Preliminary CFD models indicate a 40% reduction in acoustic reflection and no overflight of populated areas, vastly increasing launch viability.

Conclusion

With site prep slated to begin in late 2025 and major civil works wrapping by 2027, SpaceX aims for the first Starship liftoff from SLC-37 soon after. Integration with the nearby Gigabay processing facility—due online by end-2026—will complete the East Coast Starship logistics chain. Horizontal barge transport from Starbase and vertical stacking at Cape Canaveral will unify SpaceX’s nationwide launch network, strengthening U.S. leadership in heavy-lift access to orbit.