After NASA’s August 24, 1961 announcement, the shoreline east of Titusville changed permanently as the U.S. Government acquired north Merritt Island to build a launch complex for sending Americans to the moon. By 1965, the Vehicle Assembly Building towered 52 stories above the surrounding landscape. Along the ocean, NASA erected two launch pads as departure points for Saturn V rockets and, eventually, the Space Shuttle. Launch Complex 39 has dominated the shoreline opposite Titusville ever since, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to watch NASA launches there. Today, SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from LC-39, and in coming years NASA’s Space Launch System is also expected to launch from there.