The Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 17 was leveled Thursday in a controlled explosion that toppled two landmark towers that have touched the skyline for decades.
The site opened in 1957 and has tested ballistic missile launches and seen the launch of Mars orbiters, probe to the moons and many other historic moments, The Post-Standard reported.
"It's kind of a poignant moment thinking back over all of the years of successful Delta missions," said Tim Dunn, a launch director with Kennedy Space Center's Launch Services Program, according to WKMG in Florida. "It gives me a great feeling to remember all of the wonderful missions that I've been able to be a part of. At the same time, it is the final closure of the Complex 17 book, and with that, a little melancholy."
The site was last used for launch in 2011, and its $2 million demolition has been planned for some time now.
Presiding over a brief demolition ceremony, Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing, cracked a few jokes before initiating the controlled explosion at 7 a.m.
"Keep your fingers crossed that I won't mess this up," he said, according to Florida Today. "We are getting ready to leap into the future."
The Complex is now home to private company Moon Express, which will mark the start of a new era with its development in lunar landers that may be used by NASA to transport scientific instruments to the moon.
Bob Richards, founder of Moon Express, posted footage of the demolition to Twitter, noting that it was a bittersweet day.
"Legacy of a historic era, milestone of a bright new future," he tweeted.
Many others took to Twitter to pay tribute to the landmark site.
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