SpaceX ran the Transporter Erector (TE) through its paces at Space Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in the hours before the launch of OA-7 from nearby Launch Complex 41.

“Standing 212 feet high – more than 20 stories,” as a NASA press release explains, the Transporter Erector ”. . .will move launch-ready rockets and spacecraft from the processing hangar at the base of the pad up to the pad surface and into a vertical position over the flame trench.

The lift and lowering of the transporter erector are part of routine tests conducted on the pad to ensure all ground systems are prepared. . .” and “. . . is a much larger and stronger version of the erector the company uses at Space Launch Complex 40, as it will also be used for processing and launching future Falcon Heavy rockets.”

The first two images show the white TE is vertical partially hidden by the old Space Shuttle Rotating Service Structure on the pad.


The TE moves out of the way as it would during the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.


A wide-angle view of Space Launch Complex 39A with the launch pad at left and the Falcon 9 processing hanger at right.

A close-up of the Falcon 9 processing hanger.