---
title: "NASA Had to Chase an Alligator Off the SpaceX Launchpad"
description: "Officials had to chase away a six foot alligator from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday."
date: "2020-05-28"
modified: "2020-05-28"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-chase-alligator-spacex-launchpad"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "kennedy space center"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Had to Chase an Alligator Off the SpaceX Launchpad

![Officials had to chase away a six foot alligator from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/nasa-chase-alligator-spacex-launchpad.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA Kennedy via Flickr\</em\>*

## Star Gator

Coronavirus in space? Terrible. Gator in space? Possibly worse.

Officials had to chase a six foot alligator away from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday — the same day SpaceX was scheduled to [make history](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-scrubs-historic-launch-bad-weather>) by launching two NASA astronauts into space.

The launch later [had to be scrubbed](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-scrubs-historic-launch-bad-weather>). But while preparations for the launch were still in progress, the alligator waltzed over and parked himself near the launch pad.

## Gator Guru

NASA called in "gator guru" Frank Robb, the same man who previously caught internet-famous alligator called "[Chance the Snapper](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgdbIp2Srv8>)" in Chicago last July.

"There are gators that end up in the craziest places," Robb [told *WGN9* news](<https://wgntv.com/news/medical-watch/gator-guru-frank-robb-catches-alligator-on-launch-pad-to-make-way-for-liftoff/>). "They still have the ponds on the pad that they use to cool the pads off… those are natural ponds in that secure area that gators end up in all the time."

## Out for a Stroll

"He had walked in the security gate and was just taking a stroll," Robb added. "I put a rope on him, caught him and he loaded up in the truck pretty easy."

SpaceX's launch had to be scrubbed due to less-than-favorable weather conditions. But the company will try again on Saturday afternoon — with or without gator removal.

**READ MORE:** [Gator guru Frank Robb catches alligator on launch pad to make way for liftoff](<https://wgntv.com/news/medical-watch/gator-guru-frank-robb-catches-alligator-on-launch-pad-to-make-way-for-liftoff/>) \[*WGN9*\]

**More on the launch:** *[Mission Control Is Socially Distancing During Today’s SpaceX Launch](<https://futurism.com/mission-control-socially-distancing-spacex-launch>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)