Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37

Space Launch Complex 37^[2]^[3] (SLC-37), previously Launch Complex 37 (LC-37), is a launch complex on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Originally built to support the Apollo program, the complex consists of two launch pads: LC-37A and SLC-37B. 37A has never been used, while 37B hosted Saturn I and Saturn IB launches in the 1960s as well as Delta IV and Delta IV Heavy launches throughout the 2000s, 2010s, and early 2020s.

Quick Facts Launch site, Location ...

Space Launch Complex 37

Delta IV Heavy lifts off from SLC-37B in June 2016 carrying NROL-37

Launch site

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Location

28°31′55″N 80°34′01″W

Time zone

UTC−05:00 (EST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−04:00 (EDT)

Short name

SLC-37

Operator

United States Space Force

Total launches

Orbital inclination
range

28° - 57°

LC-37A launch history
Status	Demolished
Launches	None
First launch	Unused
Associated rockets	Plans cancelled: Saturn I, Saturn IB

SLC-37B launch history
Status	Inactive
Launches	43
First launch	29 January 1964 Saturn I (SA-5)
Last launch	9 April 2024 Delta IV Heavy (NROL-70)
Associated rockets	Proposed: Starship^[1] Retired: Saturn I, Saturn IB, Delta IV, Delta IV Heavy

History

Summarize

Perspective

Saturn I and IB (1964-1968)

Launch Complex 37 began construction in 1959, being envisioned to be a second site to launch the experimental heavy-lift Saturn rockets, joining Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) to the south. Originally, it was planned to be the launch site for an Earth orbit rendezvous (EOR) strategy to potentially be taken by the Apollo program, where a launch vehicle such as the Saturn C-3 would launch both the trans-lunar injection stage and the Lunar Excursion Module from the two pads, while the crew would lift off from LC-34 and intercept the two payloads in low Earth orbit. Despite NASA opting for a Lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) approach and using the Saturn V from Launch Complex 39 to the north, they nonetheless accepted LC-37 to support the Saturn I program in 1963.^[4]

The original layout of the launch complex featured one Mobile Service Structure which could be used to service or mate a rocket on either LC-37A or 37B, but not on both simultaneously. The first launch from LC-37 came on January 29, 1964, launching Saturn I SA-5 as part of the rocketry development portion of the Apollo program. Over the next two years, a total of six uncrewed Saturn I flights were launched from the complex, mostly carrying boilerplate Apollo capsules alongside the three launches of the Pegasus project.

In late 1965, both LC-37 and LC-34 were modified to launch the Saturn I's successor, the Saturn IB. Similarly to its previous configuration, this was in support of Apollo development before the Saturn V's activation at Kennedy Space Center; however, it's original purpose of EOR was also made ready as a backup in case complications render the Saturn V and LOR unfeasible. Only two Saturn IB launches were made from LC-37: the first one was AS-203 (or informally Apollo 3), which launched on July 5, 1966 and tested engine restart capabilities on the S-IVB upper stage. The second one was Apollo 5, lifting off on January 22, 1968 and carrying the first operational test of the Apollo Lunar Module in space.^[4] The facility was deactivated in 1972, following the conclusion of the Apollo program. Proposals were drawn of resuming Saturn IB launches from LC-37 and LC-34 as part of the Apollo Applications Program, but NASA instead opted to modify Launch Complex 39B for that role. LC-37 would sit dormant for the next 30 years.

Delta IV and Delta IV Heavy (2002-2024)

In 1998, the United States Air Force and Boeing came into an agreement to use LC-37 for launching the Delta IV as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Having acquired the Delta family following their merger with McDonnell Douglas the previous year, Boeing aimed for the Delta IV to be a complement and not a replacement to the other active members of the time, the Delta II and Delta III. As such (and taking the difference in lift capabilities into account), a new launch site similar in size to LC-37 was needed rather than continuing to use Space Launch Complex 17 (SLC-17). Facility modifications were made to LC-37B in 2001, constructing a 330 ft (100 m) tall Mobile Service Tower fitted to service all planned Delta IV configurations.^[5] The complex as rechristened as SLC-37 with the first launch of the Delta IV on November 20, 2002, carrying Eutelsat 70A to geostationary transfer orbit.

On December 21, 2004, SLC-37 supported the maiden flight of the Delta IV Heavy, which aimed at carrying a boilerplate and an assortment of small satellites into orbit. The next year, citing issues that sprang up with competition, Boeing announced that Delta operations at the pad and at SLC-17 would be combined with those of Atlas V at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) as part of a joint venture with Lockheed Martin. This handover would be made official with the establishment of United Launch Alliance (ULA) in December 2006, and SLC-37 supported its first launch under ULA with a Delta IV Heavy launch on November 11, 2007.

During the Delta IV era, SLC-37 underwent 35 launches of the family, consisting of 29 Medium launches and 16 Heavy launches.^[6] Almost all payloads launched were governmental in nature, with a majority of that subsection being military customers such as the Air Force, the United States Navy, and the National Reconnaissance Office. Some notable missions launched from the facility include GOES-N, GOES-O, and GOES-P for NOAA throughout the late 2000s, Exploration Flight Test-1 for NASA's Orion spacecraft in 2014, and the Parker Solar Probe in 2018.

Throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, ULA began to wind down operations at the complex in preparation for the Delta IV's retirement. Their new launch vehicle to replace the Delta and Atlas families, Vulcan Centaur, was planning on having its launch site be at SLC-41 and as such ULA opted to let the SLC-37 lease expire. The final Delta IV Medium launch came on August 22, 2019 carrying a GPS satellite for the Air Force, while the last overall launch of the Delta family came with a Delta IV Heavy launch for the NRO on April 9, 2024.^[7]

Future proposals

Following the retirement of the Delta IV, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that they would be creating a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the potential use of SpaceX's Starship at SLC-37, despite the pad not being officially leased out to anyone by the United States Space Force.^[1] The draft was originally set to be released by December 2024 but subsequently was delayed to Spring 2025, with the final study being due by September of that year.^[8]^[9]

Launch statistics

Rocket configuration

1965

1970

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Saturn

All flights operated by NASA.

More information Date, Vehicle ...

Date	Vehicle	Mission	Payload	Remarks
Jan. 29, 1964	Saturn I	SA-5	none	First live S-IV second stage
May 28, 1964	Saturn I	AS-101	BP-13 boilerplate CSM	First boilerplate CSM
Sept. 18, 1964	Saturn I	AS-102	BP-15 boilerplate CSM
Feb. 16, 1965	Saturn I	AS-103	Pegasus 1 and BP-16 boilerplate CSM	Pegasus satellites studied micrometeoroid impacts
May 25, 1965	Saturn I	AS-104	Pegasus 2 and BP-26 boilerplate CSM
July 30, 1965	Saturn I	AS-105	Pegasus 3 and BP-9A boilerplate CSM
July 5, 1966	Saturn IB	AS-203	none	Test of S-IVB second stage; informally called Apollo 3
Jan. 22, 1968	Saturn IB	Apollo 5	LM-1	First uncrewed orbital test of the lunar module

Delta

Launch sites at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center

5km
3miles

Active pads

Active pads not used for launches

Inactive leased pads

Inactive unleased pads

LC-39B

LC-39A

LC-48

SLC-41

SLC-40

LC-47

SLC-37

LC-34

SLC-20

LC-19

LC-16

LC-15

LC-14

LC-13 (LZ-1 & LZ-2)

LC-12

LC-11

LC-36

LC-1, LC-2, LC-3, and LC-4

SLC-46

LC-21 and LC-22

LC-31 and LC-32

LC-18

SLC-17

LC-26

LC-5 and LC-6

LC-30

LC-25

LC-29

All launches from 2002 to 2006 were operated by Boeing. All launches from 2007 to 2024 were operated by United Launch Alliance.

More information Date (UTC), Vehicle ...

Date (UTC)	Vehicle	Payload^[10]	Launch outcome^[10]
20 November 2002	Delta IV Medium	Eutelsat W5	Success^[11]
11 March 2003	Delta IV Medium	USA-167 (DSCS-3 A3)	Success^[12]
29 August 2003	Delta IV Medium	USA-170 (DSCS-3 B6)	Success^[13]
21 December 2004	Delta IV Heavy	DemoSat, Sparkie / 3CS-1 and Ralphie / 3CS-2	Partial failure^[a]
24 May 2006	Delta IV Medium	GOES-N (GOES-13)	Success^[14]
11 November 2007	Delta IV Heavy	DSP-23 Defense Support Program	Success
18 January 2009	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 6 / Mentor 4 (USA-202 / NROL-26)	Success
27 June 2009	Delta IV Medium	GOES-O (GOES-14)	Success^[15]
6 December 2009	Delta IV Medium	USA-211 (WGS-3)	Success^[16]
4 March 2010	Delta IV Medium	GOES-P (GOES-15)	Success^[17]
28 May 2010	Delta IV Medium	USA-213 (GPS IIF SV-1)	Success^[18]
21 November 2010	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 7 / Mentor 5 (USA-223 / NROL-32)	Success
11 March 2011	Delta IV Medium	USA-227 (NROL-27)	Success
16 July 2011	Delta IV Medium	USA-232 (GPS IIF-2)	Success^[19]
20 January 2012	Delta IV Medium	USA-233 (WGS-4)	Success^[20]
29 June 2012	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 8 / Mentor 6 (USA-237 / NROL-15)	Success
4 October 2012	Delta IV Medium	USA-239 (GPS IIF-3)	Success^[21]
25 May 2013	Delta IV Medium	USA-243 (WGS-5)	Success^[22]
8 August 2013	Delta IV Medium	USA-244 (WGS-6)	Success^[23]
21 February 2014	Delta IV Medium	USA-248 (GPS IIF-5)	Success^[24]
17 May 2014	Delta IV Medium	USA-251 (GPS IIF-6)	Success^[25]
28 July 2014	Delta IV Medium	USA 253-255 (AFSPC-4 (GSSAP #1/#2/ANGELS))	Success^[26]
5 December 2014	Delta IV Heavy	Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1)	Success
25 March 2015	Delta IV Medium	USA-260 (GPS IIF-9)	Success^[27]
24 July 2015	Delta IV Medium	USA-263 (WGS-7)	Success^[28]
11 June 2016	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 9 / Mentor 7 (USA-268 / NROL-37)	Success
19 August 2016	Delta IV Medium	USA-270/271 (AFSPC-6 (GSSAP #3/#4))	Success^[29]
7 December 2016	Delta IV Medium	USA-272 (WGS-8)	Success^[30]
19 March 2017	Delta IV Medium	USA-275 (WGS-9)	Success^[31]
12 August 2018	Delta IV Heavy	Parker Solar Probe	Success
16 March 2019	Delta IV Medium	USA-291 (WGS-10)	Success^[32]
22 August 2019	Delta IV Medium	USA-293 (GPS III-2)	Success^[33]
11 December 2020	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 10 / Mentor 8 (USA-268 / NROL-44)^[34]^[35]	Success
22 June 2023	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 11 / Mentor 9 (NROL-68)	Success
9 April 2024	Delta IV Heavy	Orion 12 / Mentor 10 (NROL-70)	Success

Photos

Map of Launch Complex 37 of the 1960s, with original Mobile Service Structure
The launch of AS-103 with the Pegasus 1 satellite atop a Saturn I, from LC-37B in 1965
The launch of GOES-N atop a Delta IV, from SLC-37B in 2006
SLC-37B in 2010, with the Mobile Service Tower