Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37
space launch complex in Brevard County, Florida
Space Launch Complex 37 (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: SLC-37A and SLC-37B. Pad 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 from 2002 to 2024.
As of January 2026, the pad is being overhauled by SpaceX for use as a launch site for Starship.
History
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.
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, the original purpose of EOR was also made ready as a backup in case complications render the Saturn V and LOR unfeasible.
“Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37” enters the record as space launch complex in Brevard County, Florida. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Cape, Canaveral and Space can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2175575. Authority coordinates are 28.532, -80.567. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002, 2024, 2026 and 1964.
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This entry incorporates text from “Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.