The removal follows a noticeable pause in launches from the historic pad. The most recent Falcon 9 flight from LC-39A occurred on December 17, 2025, a departure from the site’s intense activity in 2025, when Falcon vehicles launched 165 times overall (though not all from 39A).

Seven astronauts lost their lives during the Challenger space shuttle disaster on Jan. 28, 1986. Four decades later, human spaceflight remains a difficult business.

On Feb. 1, 2003, NASA was once again dealing with tragedy when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew of seven astronauts were lost after the shuttle broke apart during reentry.

There is long process to get the Space Shuttle into Orbit around the Earth! 📼Video Summary: There is a long process to getting the Space Shuttle ready to launch! If it lands Vandenburg Air Force Base in California then it will need to be flown across the United States to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Forty years ago, Americans were shocked when the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after it launched on a chilly day in Florida.

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia fell apart as it returned to Earth after spending more than two weeks in space. The accident instantly killed all seven astronauts on board. This was the second fatal accident of the space shuttle program following the Challenger disaster in 1986,

NASA's space shuttle Challenger completed 10 missions before it broke apart during a launch in 1986, killing seven astronauts.