The crawler carrying the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft was built 60 years ago to haul NASA’s Saturn V rockets, then kept around for the Space Shuttle Program. Now, the vehicle is back to its original purpose of positioning Moon-bound rockets on their launch pads.

SpaceX is set to launch its third mission of the year from the Space Coast on Monday afternoon while preparing for the early return later this week of Crew-11 from the International Space Station.

In a strategic push to bolster launch infrastructure amid growing military and commercial demands for orbital access, the United States Space Force has issued two separate Requests for Information (RFIs) in late December 2025, signaling its intent to make prime real estate available for large-scale rockets on the East and West Coasts.

The increasing number of commercial space launches and the upward trend in upmass serve as unmistakable signs of space industry growth. Space is a high-risk, high-reward industry, however. Space launches are expensive, and space companies often operate at a loss for years while developing their businesses.