Overview
- Two late-December RFIs invite proposals for super heavy-lift use of Cape Canaveral’s SLC-46 and a new heavy/super-heavy complex, SLC-14, at Vandenberg, with the Vandenberg response window set to 45 days.
- SLC-46 is targeted for new vehicles rather than additional pads for existing providers, and any lease would follow a U.S. Navy relocation from the site.
- Vandenberg ended 2025 with a record 71 launches and projects more than 80 this year, while SpaceX holds approval for up to 100 Falcon-family missions and now targets a Falcon Heavy debut from SLC-6 in 2027.
- Space Launch Delta 30 says the western range could accommodate four to seven new launch complexes and is drawing on a $1.3 billion congressional fund for range infrastructure through 2028.
- The RFIs do not commit the government or industry to builds, and potential candidates such as SpaceX’s Starship meet technical criteria for Vandenberg but have not announced California operations.