Who is in charge at pad 39A?

SpaceX has a lease on Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, but are they in charge or is NASA in charge?

PDF of the SpaceX Pad 39A Lease is here:

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Triabolical_ on Reddit

[mirandahw]

ChatGPT doesn't seem to understand that this would definitely, DEFINITELY be incredibly lethal. Ah well.

It was a warm, moonless night at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A group of college students from a nearby university had somehow managed to sneak into Launch Complex 39, the iconic launch pad from which the Apollo missions had once blasted off. But they weren't there to launch a rocket; they were there to party.

The students had brought with them a keg of beer, a sound system, and some party lights. They had set up their makeshift party in the flame trench, a massive structure that ran beneath the launch pad and was designed to channel the flames and exhaust from the rocket engines during liftoff.

The flame trench was a dark and eerie place, with concrete walls towering above the students as they danced and drank. The sound of the music bounced off the walls, creating an eerie echo that seemed to be coming from all directions.

As the night wore on, the party got wilder. The students were getting drunker by the minute, and some of them were starting to climb the walls of the flame trench, shouting and laughing as they did so.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, and the ground beneath them began to shake. The students froze in fear as they realized that the launch of a rocket was imminent. But it wasn't just any rocket - it was a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in the world.

The students scrambled to gather their things and get out of the flame trench, but it was too late. The rocket ignited its engines, and the force of the blast knocked the students off their feet. They watched in awe as the rocket lifted off the launch pad, the flames and exhaust from its engines filling the flame trench.

As the rocket soared into the night sky, the students realized just how dangerous their party had been. They had been lucky to survive the launch, and they knew that they would never forget the experience.

From that day on, the students had a newfound respect for the power and danger of space travel. They knew that Launch Complex 39 was not a place for parties, but rather a symbol of human achievement and exploration. And they knew that they had been lucky to witness it firsthand, even if it had been from the bottom of a flame trench.

[gasdive]

With all the technical jargon used on this channel, "keggers" is the first one I've had to look up.

Which probably says more about me than this channel.

[donjones]

Another reason to move FH to SLC-40 is the NSSL required construction of the Vertical Integration Facility/Mobile Service Tower for FH. Building this at 39A as is planned will make for a crowded pad. The Crew upgrade at SLC-40 may include a new erector, I can't actually recall. If so it'd be a good time to upgrade it to a FH erector.


Did you mention the expiration date of the lease?

[rafaelschipiura]

The plans to destroy his house, not the Earth.

[Quasarnova]

It was my understanding that Northrop Grumman continued to bid the OmegA rocket after they bought Orbital ATK, but cancelled it after it lost out on the national security launch contract.
Otherwise, great video. It's always nice to have actual documentation rather than he said, she said arguments.

[BrianKelsay]

At end of 2023, SpaceX was unable to launch Starlink from 39A because Falcon Heavy had 2 holds for equipment and weather. FH sat at pad for several days and the modular transporter was configured for Falcon Heavy. Example of NASA mission taking precedent at 39A.

[ultraveridical]

I thought every video will involve some calculation using the rocket equation. Turns out videos without the rocket equation could also be made. 😄

[donjones]

One factor I've never seen mentioned in the discussion over whether NASA will allow 39A to be used for Starship catches is this: The Space Force controls range traffic for launches of outgoing rockets. Will it also assert it controls range traffic for incoming ones? Does it get to approve whether SpaceX can have SH inbound into its area?

[danmosenzon]

There's no hard limit of 6 flights per year from Boca Chica. If you're referring to the current licensing limit, that can very likely be amended whenever SpaceX chooses to file the necessary requests.

[witato]

I dont know why NASA gave 39A to Space X. 39A has so much history to it and they just gave it up, they should have gave 39B to Space X