Launch site | Vandenberg Space Force Base | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Location | 34°37′59″N120°36′47″W / 34.633°N 120.613°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Short name | SLC-4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator | U.S. Space Force SpaceX (SLC-4E from 2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total launches | 234 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Launch pad(s) | 2 (1 became a landing zone for Falcon 9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Orbital inclination range | 43° – 145° | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) is a launch and landing site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, U.S. It has two pads, both of which are used by SpaceX for Falcon 9, one for launch operations, and the other as Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) for SpaceX landings. The Vanderberg base is also featured in William Pierces Novel "The Turner Diaries".
The complex was previously used by Atlas and Titan rockets between 1963 and 2005. It consisted of two launch pads, SLC-4W and SLC-4E, which were formerly designated PALC-2-3 and PALC-2-4 respectively. Both pads were built for use by Atlas-Agena rockets, but were later rebuilt to handle Titan rockets. The designation SLC-4 was applied at the time of the conversion to launch Titan launch vehicles. [1]
Both pads at Space Launch Complex 4 are currently leased by SpaceX. SLC-4E is leased as a launch site for the Falcon 9 rocket, which first flew from Vandenberg on 29 September 2013, following a 24-month refurbishment program which had started in early 2011. [2] [3] SpaceX began a five-year lease of Launch Complex 4 West in February 2015 in order to use that area as a landing pad to bring back VTVL return-to-launch-site (RTLS) first-stage boosters of the reusable Falcon 9 launch vehicle. That pad was later named by SpaceX as Landing Zone 4 and first used operationally for a Falcon 9 booster landing in 2018.
The first launch from PALC2-4 occurred on 14 August 1964, when a KH-7 satellite was launched by an Atlas-Agena D. After 27 Atlas-Agena launches, the last of which was on 4 June 1967, the complex was deactivated. [4]
During 1971 the complex was reactivated and refurbished for use by the Martin Marietta Titan III launch vehicles. The Titan IIID made its maiden flight from SLC-4E on 15 June 1971, launching the first KH-9 Hexagon satellite. [5] The first KH-11 Kennan satellite was launched from the complex on 19 December 1976. [6] All 22 Titan IIIDs were launched from SLC-4E, with the last occurring on 17 November 1982.
The complex was then refurbished to accommodate the Martin Marietta Titan 34D. Seven Titan 34Ds were launched between 20 June 1983, and 6 November 1988. [7] SLC-4E hosted one of the most dramatic launch accidents in US history when a Titan 34D-9 carrying a KH-9 photoreconnaissance satellite exploded a few hundred feet above the pad on 18 April 1986. The enormous blast showered the launch complex with debris and toxic propellant (hydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide), resulting in extensive damage. 16 months after the accident, the pad was back in commission when it hosted a successful launch of a KH-11 satellite. [8] [9]
The last Titan variant to use the complex was the Titan IV, starting on 8 March 1991, with the launch of Lacrosse 2. On 19 October 2005, the last flight of a Titan rocket occurred, when a Titan IVB was launched from SLC-4E, with an Improved Crystal satellite. Following this launch, the complex was deactivated, having been used for 68 launches. [10] [11]
SpaceX refurbished SLC–4E for Falcon 9 launches in a 24-month process that began in early 2011. [2] The draft environmental impact assessment with a finding of "no significant impact" was published in February 2011. [2] Demolition began on the pad's fixed and mobile service towers in summer 2011. [3]
By late 2012, SpaceX anticipated that the initial launch from the Vandenberg pad would be in 2013, with the larger variant Falcon 9 v1.1. [12] As the pad was nearing completion in February 2013, the first launch was scheduled for summer 2013, [13] but was delayed until September 2013.
Date/time (GMT) | Launch vehicle | Serial numbers | Trajectory | Result | Payload | Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1964-10-08 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7103 | LEO (target) | Failure | KH-7 Gambit 4012 | Agena engine malfunction. RSO destruct | ||
1964-12-04 18:57 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7105 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4014 | |||
1965-04-03 21:25 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7401 | LEO | Success | SNAPSHOT | First and only nuclear reactor powered American satellite. | ||
1965-04-28 20:17 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7107 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4017 | |||
1965-05-27 19:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7108 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4018 | |||
1965-06-25 19:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7109 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4019 | |||
1965-07-12 19:00 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7112 | LEO (target) | Failure | KH-7 Gambit 4020 | Premature sustainer shutdown due to electrical malfunction. Vehicle impacted the Pacific Ocean. | ||
1965-08-03 19:12 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7111 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4021 | |||
1965-09-30 19:20 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7110 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4022 | |||
1965-11-08 19:26 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7113 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4023 | |||
1966-01-19 20:10 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7114 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4024 | |||
1966-02-15 20:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7115 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4025 | |||
1966-03-18 20:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7116 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4026 | |||
1966-04-19 19:12 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7117 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4027 | |||
1966-05-14 18:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7118 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4028 | |||
1966-06-03 19:25 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7119 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4029 | |||
1966-07-12 17:57 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7120 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4030 | |||
1966-08-16 18:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7121 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4031 | |||
1966-08-19 19:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7202 | LEO | Success | Midas 11 | |||
1966-09-16 17:59 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7123 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4032 | |||
1966-10-12 19:15 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7122 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4033 | |||
1966-11-02 20:23 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7124 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4034 | |||
1966-12-05 21:09 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7125 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4035 | |||
1967-02-02 20:00 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7126 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4036 | |||
1967-05-22 18:30 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7127 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4037 | |||
1967-06-04 18:07 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7128 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4038 |
Date/time (GMT) | Launch vehicle | Serial numbers | Trajectory | Result | Payload | Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971-06-15 18:41 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-1 | LEO | Success | OPS-8709 (KH-9) | Maiden flight of Titan IIID | ||
1972-01-20 18:36 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-2 | LEO | Success | OPS-1737 (KH-9) SSF-B-22 | |||
1972-07-07 17:46 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-5 | LEO | Success | OPS-7293 (KH-9) SSF-B-23 | |||
1972-10-10 18:03 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-3 | LEO | Success | OPS-8314 (KH-9) SSF-C-3 | |||
1973-03-09 21:00 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-6 | LEO | Success | OPS-8410 (KH-9) | |||
1973-06-13 20:24 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-7 | LEO | Success | OPS-8261 (KH-9) | |||
1973-11-10 20:09 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-8 | LEO | Success | OPS-6630 (KH-9) SSF-B-24 SSF-C-4 | |||
1974-04-10 20:20 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-9 | LEO | Success | OPS-6245 (KH-9) SSF-B-25 IRCB | |||
1974-10-29 19:30 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-4 | LEO | Success | OPS-7122 (KH-9) OPS-8452 (S3) SSF-B-26 | |||
1975-06-08 18:30 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-10 | LEO | Success | OPS-6381 (KH-9) SSF-C-5 | |||
1975-12-04 20:38 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-13 | LEO | Success | OPS-4428 (KH-9) OPS-5547 (S3) | |||
1976-07-08 18:30 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-14 | LEO | Success | OPS-4699 (KH-9) OPS-3986 (S3) SSF-D-1 | |||
1976-12-19 18:19 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-15 | LEO | Success | OPS-5705 (KH-11) | |||
1977-06-27 18:30 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-17 | LEO | Success | OPS-4800 (KH-9) | |||
1978-03-16 18:43 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-20 | LEO | Success | OPS-0460 (KH-9) SSF-D-2 | |||
1978-06-14 18:28 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-18 | LEO | Success | OPS-4515 (KH-11) | |||
1979-03-16 18:30 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-21 | LEO | Success | OPS-3854 (KH-9) SSF-D-3 | |||
1980-02-07 21:10 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-19 | LEO | Success | OPS-2581 (KH-11) | |||
1980-06-18 18:29 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-16 | LEO | Success | OPS-3123 (KH-9) SSF-C-6 | |||
1981-09-03 18:29 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-22 | LEO | Success | OPS-3984 (KH-11) | |||
1982-05-11 18:45 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-24 | LEO | Success | OPS-5642 (KH-9) SSF-D-4 | |||
1982-11-17 21:22 | Titan III(23)D | 23D-23 | LEO | Success | OPS-9627 (KH-11) | Final flight of Titan IIID | ||
1983-06-20 18:45 | Titan 34D | 4D-3 | 34D-5 | LEO | Success | OPS-0721 (KH-9) SSF-C-7 | ||
1984-06-25 18:43 | Titan 34D | 4D-1 | 34D-4 | LEO | Success | USA-2 (KH-9) USA-3 (SSF-D) | ||
1984-12-04 18:00 | Titan 34D | 4D-4 | 34D-6 | LEO | Success | USA-6 (KH-11) | ||
1985-08-28 21:20 | Titan 34D | 4D-6 | 34D-7 | LEO (target) | Failure | KH-11 | First stage propellant leak leading to turbopump failure and RSO destruct | |
1986-04-18 17:45 | Titan 34D | 4D-2 | 34D-9 | LEO (target) | Failure | KH-9 | SRM burnthrough, exploded 8.5 seconds after launch Last KH-9 Hexagon satellite | |
1987-10-26 21:32 | Titan 34D | 4D-8 | 34D-15 | LEO | Success | USA-27 (KH-11) | ||
1988-11-06 18:03 | Titan 34D | 4D-7 | 34D-14 | LEO | Success | USA-33 (KH-11) |
Date/time (GMT) | Launch vehicle | Serial numbers | Trajectory | Result | Payload | Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991-03-08 12:03 | Titan IV(403)A | 45F-1 | 4A-5 | K-5 | LEO | Success | USA-69 (Lacrosse) | Maiden flight of Titan 403A |
1991-1108 07:07 | Titan IV(403)A | 45F-2 | 4A-8 | K-8 | LEO | Success | USA-72 (SLDCOM) USA-74 (NOSS) USA-76 (NOSS) USA-77 (NOSS) | |
1992-11-28 21:34 | Titan IV(404)A | 45J-1 | 4A-3 | K-3 | LEO | Success | USA-86 (KH-12) | Maiden flight of Titan 404A |
1993-08-02 19:59 | Titan IV(403)A | 45F-9 | 4A-11 | K-11 | LEO (target) | Failure | SLDCOM 3 x NOSS | SRM exploded due to damage caused during maintenance on ground |
1995-12-05 21:18 | Titan IV(404)A | 45J-3 | 4A-15 | K-15 | LEO | Success | USA-116 (KH-12) | |
1996-05-12 21:32 | Titan IV(403)A | 45F-11 | 4A-22 | K-22 | LEO | Success | USA-119 (SLDCOM) USA-120 (NOSS) USA-121 (NOSS) USA-122 (NOSS) USA-123 (TiPS) USA-124 (TiPS) | |
1996-12-20 18:04 | Titan IV(404)A | 45J-5 | 4A-13 | K-13 | LEO | Success | USA-129 (KH-12) | NRO L-2, final flight of Titan 404A |
1997-10-24 02:32 | Titan IV(403)A | 45F-3 | 4A-18 | K-18 | LEO | Success | USA-133 (Lacrosse) | Final flight of Titan 403A |
1999-05-22 09:36 | Titan IV(404)B | 4B-12 | K-12 | LEO | Success | USA-144 (Misty) | Maiden flight of Titan 404B | |
2000-08-17 23:45 | Titan IV(403)B | 4B-28 | K-25 | LEO | Success | USA-152 (Onyx) | NRO L-11, Maiden flight of Titan 403B | |
2001-10-05 21:21 | Titan IV(404)B | 4B-34 | K-34 | LEO | Success | USA-161 (KH-12) | NRO L-14, Maiden flight of Titan 404B | |
2005-10-19 18:05 | Titan IV(404)B | 4B-26 | K-35 | LEO | Success | USA-186 (KH-12) | NRO L-20, Final flight of Titan IV |
Date/time (GMT) | Launch vehicle | Trajectory | Payload | Result | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013-09-29 16:00 | F9 v1.1 B1003 | Polar orbit | CASSIOPE [14] [15] | Success | First Falcon 9 v1.1 flight and first commercial mission. After payload separation the upper stage failed at a re-ignition test. |
2016-01-17 18:42 [16] | F9 v1.1 B1017 | SSO | Jason-3 [17] | Success | First launch of NASA and NOAA joint science mission under the NLS II launch contract, last flight of Falcon 9 v1.1 |
2017-01-14 17:54 | F9 FT B1029.1 | Polar orbit | Iridium-1 | Success | First batch of ten satellites for the Iridium NEXT constellation. |
2017-06-25 20:25 | F9 FT B1036.1 | Polar orbit | Iridium-2 | Success | Second batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites |
2017-08-24 18:50 | F9 FT B1038.1 | SSO | FORMOSAT-5 [18] | Success | Formosat-5 was originally scheduled to launch on a Falcon 1e from Omelek Island in 2013. |
2017-10-09 12:37 | F9 B4 B1041.1 | Polar orbit | Iridium-3 | Success | Third batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites |
2017-12-23 01:27 | F9 FT ♺ B1036.2 | Polar orbit | Iridium-4 | Success | First west-coast return-to-launch-site landing planned [19] but later cancelled. [20] The first-stage booster was expended after a controlled ocean splashdown. [21] |
2018-02-22 14:17 [22] | F9 FT ♺ B1038.2 | SSO | Paz [23] & Tintin A, B (Starlink) | Success | First launch with new fairing, designed to be "caught" by a recovery vessel; the fairing missed the ship but was ultimately recovered anyway. |
2018-03-30 14:13 | F9 B4 ♺ B1041.2 | Polar orbit | Iridium-5 | Success | Fifth batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites. The first stage was expended after a simulated ocean landing. [24] |
2018-05-22 19:47 | F9 B4 ♺ B1043.2 | Polar orbit | Iridium-6 & Grace-FO | Success | Sixth batch of 5 Iridium NEXT satellites. The two GRACE-FO satellites were a rideshare on this flight. The first stage was expended and flew w/o legs, but with aluminum grid fins. |
2018-07-25 11:39 | F9 B5 B1048.1 | Polar orbit | Iridium-7 | Success | Seventh batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites. First Falcon 9 Block 5 to launch from Vandenberg AFB. |
2018-10-08 02:21 | F9 B5 ♺ B1048.2 | SSO | SAOCOM 1A | Success | First Block 5 reuse on the west coast. First land landing on SpaceX's west coast landing pad, Landing Zone 4. First Block 5 RTLS landing. |
2018-12-03 18:34 | F9 B5 ♺ B1046.3 | SSO | Spaceflight SSO-A | Success | Rideshare mission during which 64 small satellites were successfully deployed. First time a booster (B1046) was used for a third flight. |
2019-01-11 15:31 | F9 B5 ♺ B1049.2 | Polar orbit | Iridium-8 | Success | Eighth and the last Iridium NEXT mission with ten satellites. |
2019-06-12 14:17 | F9 B5 ♺ B1051.2 | SSO | RADARSAT Constellation | Success | Set of three Earth observation satellites by the Canadian Space Agency. |
2020-11-21 17:17 | F9 B5 B1063.1 | LEO | Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich | Success | First of two Sentinel 6 satellites to measure sea-level change. Launched to a 1336 km at 66° inclination orbit. |
2021-09-14 03:55 | F9 B5 ♺ B1049.10 | LEO | Starlink × 51 (Group 2-1) | Success | First Starlink mission to launch from Vandenberg SLC-4, to a 70-degree orbital inclination. |
2021-11-24 01:21 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.3 | Heliocentric | DART | Success | First mission to demonstrate asteroid reduction capability. Originally planned for 22 July 2021, but was pushed back to 24 November 2021. [25] |
2021-12-18 12:41 | F9 B5 ♺ B1051.11 | LEO | Starlink × 52 (Group 4-4) | Success | First West coast and third overall 53.2-degree inclination Starlink launch. First time a Falcon 9 first stage booster flew for an eleventh time. |
2022-02-02 20:27 | F9 B5 B1071.1 | SSO | NROL-87 | Success | Classified US military satellite |
2022-02-25 17:12 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.4 | LEO | Starlink × 50 (Group 4–11) | Success | |
2022-04-17 13:13 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.2 | SSO | NROL-85 | Success | Two classified US military satellites |
2022-05-13 22:07 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.5 | LEO | Starlink × 53 (Group 4-13) | Success | |
2022-06-18 14:19 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.3 | SSO | SARah 1 | Success | |
2022-07-11 01:39 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.6 | SSO | Starlink x 46 (Group 3-1) | Success | First dedicated mission deploying Starlink satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit. |
2022-07-22 17:39 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.4 | SSO | Starlink x 46 (Group 3-2) | Success | |
2022-08-12 21:40 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.10 | SSO | Starlink x 46 (Group 3-3) | Success | |
2022-08-31 05:40 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.7 | SSO | Starlink x 46 (Group 3-4) | Success | |
2022-10-05 23:10 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.5 | LEO | Starlink x 52 (Group 4-29) | Success | |
2022-10-28 01:14 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.8 | LEO | Starlink x 53 (Group 4-31) | Success | |
2022-12-16 11:46 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.6 | Polar orbit | SWOT | Success | Joint mission of NASA and CNES |
2022-12-30 07:38 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.11 | LEO | EROS-C3 | Success | |
2023-01-19 15:43 | F9 B5 B1075.1 | LEO | Starlink x 51 (Group 2-4) | Success | |
2023-01-31 16:15 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.7 | LEO | Starlink x 49 (Group 2-6) & ION SCV-009 | Success | The launch carried also the ION SCV-009 cubesat deployer with a mass simulator and some experiments onboard. |
2023-02-17 19:12 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.9 | LEO | Starlink x 51 (Group 2-5) | Success | |
2023-03-03 18:38 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.12 | LEO | Starlink x 51 (Group 2-7) | Success | |
2023-03-17 19:26 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.8 | LEO | Starlink x 52 (Group 2-8) | Success | |
2023-04-02 14:29 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.2 | Polar Orbit | SDA Tranche 0A | Success | |
2023-04-15 06:48 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.10 | SSO | Transporter 7 | Success | |
2023-04-27 13:40 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.13 | SSO | Starlink x 46 (Group 3-5) | Success | |
2023-05-10 20:09 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.3 | LEO | Starlink x 51 (Group 2-9) | Success | |
2023-05-20 13:16 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.11 | Polar Orbit | Iridium-9 & OneWeb #19 | Success | |
2023-05-31 06:02 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.14 | LEO | Starlink x 52 (Group 2-10) | Success | |
2023-06-12 21:35 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.9 | SSO | Transporter 8 | Success | |
2023-06-22 07:19 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.4 | LEO | Starlink x 47 (Group 5-7) | Success | |
2023-07-07 19:29 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.12 | LEO | Starlink x 48 (Group 5-13) | Success | |
2023-07-20 04:09 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.10 | LEO | Starlink x 15 (Group 6-15) | Success | |
2023-08-08 03:57 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.5 | LEO | Starlink x 15 (Group 6-20) | Success | |
2023-08-22 09:37 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.15 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-1) | Success | |
2023-09-02 14:25 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.13 | Polar orbit | SDA Tranche 0B | Success | |
2023-09-12 06:57 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.11 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-2) | Success | |
2023-09-25 08:48 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.6 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-3) | Success | |
2023-10-09 07:23 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.14 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-4) | Success | |
2023-10-21 08:23 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.16 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-5) | Success | |
2023-10-29 09:00 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.7 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-6) | Success | |
2023-11-11 18:49 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.12 | SSO | Transporter 9 | Success | |
2023-11-20 10:30 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.15 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-7) | Success | |
2023-12-01 18:19 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.17 | SSO | 425 Project Flight 1 and 24 Secondary Payloads | Success | |
2023-12-08 08:03 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.13 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-8) | Success | Fastest turnaround of this launch pad. |
2023-12-24 13:11 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.8 | SSO | SARah 2 & 3 [26] | Success | |
2024-01-03 03:44 | F9 B5 B1082.1 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 7-9) | Success | |
2024-01-14 08:59 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.18 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-10) | Success | |
2024-01-24 00:35 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.16 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-11) | Success | |
2024-01-29 05:57 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.9 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-12) | Success | This landing marked the fastest turnaround of a droneship at just over 5 days. The launch also marked the fastest turnaround time from SLC-4E at 5 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes, and 20 seconds, previously being at 6.5 days. |
2024-02-10 00:34 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.14 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-13) | Success | |
2024-02-15 21:34 | F9 B5 ♺ B1082.2 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-14) | Success | |
2024-02-23 04:11 | F9 B5 ♺ B1061.19 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-15) | Success | |
2024-03-04 22:05 | F9 B5 ♺ B1081.5 | SSO | Transporter 10 | Success | |
2024-03-11 04:09 | F9 B5 ♺ B1063.17 | LEO | Starlink x 23 (Group 7-17) | Success | |
2024-03-19 02:28 | F9 B5 ♺ B1075.10 | LEO | Starlink x 20 and Starshield x 2 [27] (Group 7-16) | Success | Carried two Starshield as rideshare. [28] |
2024-04-02 02:30 | F9 B5 ♺ B1071.15 | LEO | Starlink x 22 (Group 7-18) | Success | |
2024-04-07 02:25 | F9 B5 ♺ B1081.6 | LEO | Starlink x 21 (Group 8-1) | Success | |
2024-04-11 14:25 | F9 B5 ♺ B1082.3 | SSO | USSF-62 (WSF-M 1) | Success |
Planned date (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Trajectory | Payload | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SSO | WorldView Legion 1 & 2 (2 Sats) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 8-2) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SSO | EarthCARE | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 8-3) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-19) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-20) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-21) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-22) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-23) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | Starlink x ? (Group 7-24) | |
May 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | LEO | NROL-146 | |
September 2024 [29] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | HEO | ASBM 1 and ASBM 2 | Two identical satellites to be operated by NOSA [30] in order to provide communication coverage to the far north areas of Norway, which is presently not served by geosynchronous satellites. [31] |
December 2024 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SSO | NAOS (LUXEOSys) | |
April 2025 [32] | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Geocentric orbit | SPHEREx & PUNCH | |
November 2025 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SSO | Sentinel-6B |
SLC-4W started operations in 1963 as Space Launch Complex 4W, and continued as an operational launch site through 2003. In 2015, SpaceX started conversion of the launch site into Landing Zone LZ-4. Landing operations commenced in 2018 at LZ-4.
The first launch to use what is now SLC-4 occurred on 12 July 1963, when an Atlas LV-3 Agena-D launched the first KH-7 Gambit reconnaissance satellite, from PALC-2-3. Twelve Atlas-Agenas launches were conducted from PALC-2-3, with the last occurring on 12 March 1965.
Following this, it was rebuilt as SLC-4W, a Titan launch complex. The first Titan launch from SLC-4W was a Titan IIIB, on 29 July 1966. All 68 Titan IIIB launches occurred from SLC-4W, with the last on 12 February 1987.
After the retirement of the Titan IIIB, it became a Titan 23G launch site, and twelve Titan II launches, using the 23G orbital configuration, were conducted between 5 September 1988 and 18 October 2003. Following the retirement of the Titan 23G, SLC-4W was deactivated. 93 rockets were launched from SLC-4W.
SLC-4W was the site of the launch of Clementine, the only spacecraft to be launched from Vandenberg to the Moon, which was launched by a Titan 23G on 25 January 1994.
Date/time (GMT) | Launch vehicle | Serial numbers | Trajectory | Result | Payload | Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1963-07-12 20:46 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 201D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4001 | |||
1963-09-06 19:30 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 212D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4002 | |||
1963-10-25 18:59 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 224D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4003 | |||
1963-12-18 21:45 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 227D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4004 | |||
1964-02-25 18:59 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 285D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4005 | |||
1964-03-11 20:14 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 296D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4006 | |||
1964-04-23 16:19 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 351D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4007 | |||
1964-05-19 19:21 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 350D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4008 | |||
1964-07-06 18:51 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 352D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4009 | |||
1964-08-14 22:00 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 7101 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4010 | |||
1964-09-23 20:06 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 7102 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4011 | |||
1964-10-23 18:30 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | 353D | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4013 | |||
1965-01-23 20:09 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7106 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4015 | |||
1965-03-12 19:25 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | 7104 | LEO | Success | KH-7 Gambit 4016 | |||
29 July 1966 18:43 | Titan IIIB | 3B-1 | 4751 | LEO | Success | OPS-3014 (KH-8) | Maiden flight of Titan IIIB | |
28 September 1966 19:12 | Titan IIIB | 3B-2 | LEO | Success | OPS-4096 (KH-8) | |||
14 December 1966 18:14 | Titan IIIB | 3B-3 | LEO | Success | OPS-8968 (KH-8) | |||
24 February 1967 19:55 | Titan IIIB | 3B-4 | LEO | Success | OPS-4204 (KH-8) | |||
26 April 1967 18:00 | Titan IIIB | 3B-5 | LEO (target) | Failure | OPS-4243 (KH-8) | Second stage lost thrust due to probable fuel line obstruction. Vehicle impacted the Pacific Ocean 600 miles downrange. | ||
20 June 196716:19 | Titan IIIB | 3B-8 | LEO | Success | OPS-4282 (KH-8) | |||
16 August 1967 17:02 | Titan IIIB | 3B-9 | LEO | Success | OPS-4886 (KH-8) | |||
19 September 1967 18:28 | Titan IIIB | 3B-10 | LEO | Success | OPS-4941 (KH-8) | |||
25 October 1967 19:15 | Titan IIIB | 3B-11 | LEO | Success | OPS-4995 (KH-8) | |||
5 December 1967 18:45 | Titan IIIB | 3B-12 | LEO | Success | OPS-5000 (KH-8) | |||
18 January 1968 19:04 | Titan IIIB | 3B-13 | LEO | Success | OPS-5028 (KH-8) | |||
13 March 1968 19:55 | Titan IIIB | 3B-14 | LEO | Success | OPS-5057 (KH-8) | |||
7 April 1968 17:00 | Titan IIIB | 3B-15 | LEO | Success | OPS-5105 (KH-8) | |||
5 June 1968 17:31 | Titan IIIB | 3B-16 | LEO | Success | OPS-5138 (KH-8) | |||
6 August 1968 16:33 | Titan IIIB | 3B-17 | LEO | Success | OPS-5187 (KH-8) | |||
10 September 1968 18:30 | Titan IIIB | 3B-18 | LEO | Success | OPS-5247 (KH-8) | |||
6 November 1968 19:10 | Titan IIIB | 3B-19 | LEO | Success | OPS-5296 (KH-8) | |||
4 December 1968 19:23 | Titan IIIB | 3B-20 | LEO | Success | OPS-6518 (KH-8) | |||
22 January 1969 19:10 | Titan IIIB | 3B-6 | LEO | Success | OPS-7585 (KH-8) | |||
4 March 1969 19:30 | Titan IIIB | 3B-7 | LEO | Success | OPS-4248 (KH-8) | |||
15 April 1969 17:30 | Titan IIIB | 3B-21 | LEO | Success | OPS-5310 (KH-8) | |||
3 June 1969 16:49 | Titan IIIB | 3B-22 | LEO | Success | OPS-1077 (KH-8) | |||
23 August 1969 16:00 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-1 | 3B-23 | LEO | Success | OPS-7807 (KH-8A) | Maiden flight of Titan 23B | |
14 October 1969 18:10 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-2 | 3B-24 | LEO | Success | OPS-8455 (KH-8A) | ||
14 January 1970 18:43 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-3 | 3B-24 | LEO | Success | OPS-6531 (KH-8A) | ||
15 April 1970 15:52 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-4 | 3B-26 | LEO | Success | OPS-2863 (KH-8A) | ||
25 June 1970 14:50 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-5 | 3B-27 | LEO | Success | OPS-6820 (KH-8A) | ||
18 August 1970 14:45 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-6 | 3B-28 | LEO | Success | OPS-7874 (KH-8A) | ||
23 October 1970 17:40 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-7 | 3B-29 | LEO | Success | OPS-7568 (KH-8A) | ||
21 January 1971 18:28 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-8 | 3B-30 | LEO | Success | OPS-7776 (KH-8A) | ||
21 March 1971 03:45 | Titan III(33)B | 33B-1 | 3B-36 | Molniya | Success | OPS-4788 (Jumpseat) | Maiden flight of Titan 33B | |
22 April 1971 15:30 | Titan III(23)B | 23B-9 | 3B-31 | LEO | Success | OPS-7899 (KH-8A) | Final flight of Titan 23B | |
12 August 1971 15:30 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-1 | 3B-32 | LEO | Success | OPS-8607 (KH-8A) | Maiden flight of Titan 24B | |
23 October 1971 17:16 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-2 | 3B-33 | LEO | Success | OPS-7616 (KH-8A) | ||
16 February 1972 09:59 | Titan III(33)B | 33B-2 | 3B-37 | Molniya (target) | Failure | OPS-1844 (Jumpseat) | Failed to reach orbit | |
17 March 1972 17:00 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-3 | 3B-34 | LEO | Success | OPS-1678 (KH-8A) | ||
20 May 1972 15:30 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-4 | 3B-35 | LEO (target) | Failure | OPS-6574 (KH-8A) | Agena pressurization failure | |
1 September 1972 17:44 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-5 | 3B-39 | LEO | Success | OPS-8888 (KH-8A) | ||
21 December 1972 17:45 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-6 | 3B-40 | LEO | Success | OPS-3978 (KH-8A) | ||
16 May 1973 16:40 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-7 | 3B-41 | LEO | Success | OPS-2093 (KH-8A) | ||
26 June 1973 17:00 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-9 | 3B-43 | LEO (target) | Failure | OPS-4018 (KH-8A) | First stage fuel tank rupture T+11 seconds. | |
21 August 1973 16:07 | Titan III(33)B | 33B-3 | 3B-38 | Molniya | Success | OPS-7724 (Jumpseat) | Final flight of Titan 33B | |
27 September 1973 17:15 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-8 | 3B-42 | LEO | Success | OPS-6275 (KH-8A) | ||
13 February 1974 18:00 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-10 | 3B-44 | LEO | Success | OPS-6889 (KH-8A) | ||
6 June 1974 16:30 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-11 | 3B-45 | LEO | Success | OPS-1776 (KH-8A) | ||
14 August 1974 15:35 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-12 | 3B-46 | LEO | Success | OPS-3004 (KH-8A) | ||
10 March 1975 04:41 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-1 | 3B-50 | Molniya | Success | OPS-2439 (Jumpseat) | Maiden flight of Titan 34B | |
18 April 1975 16:48 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-14 | 3B-48 | LEO | Success | OPS-4883 (KH-8A) | ||
9 October 1975 19:15 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-13 | 3B-47 | LEO | Success | OPS-5499 (KH-8A) | ||
22 March 1976 18:14 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-18 | 3B-52 | LEO | Success | OPS-7600 (KH-8A) | ||
2 June 1976 20:56 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-5 | 3B-55 | Molniya | Success | OPS-7837 (SDS) | ||
6 August 1976 22:21 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-6 | 3B-56 | Molniya | Success | OPS-7940 (SDS) | ||
15 September 1976 18:50 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-17 | 3B-51 | LEO | Success | OPS-8533 (KH-8A) | ||
13 March 1977 18:41 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-19 | 3B-54 | LEO | Success | OPS-4915 (KH-8A) | ||
23 September 1977 18:34 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-23 | 3B-58 | LEO | Success | OPS-7471 (KH-8A) | ||
25 February 1978 05:00 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-2 | 3B-49 | Molniya | Success | OPS-6031 (Jumpseat) | ||
5 August 1978 05:00 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-7 | 3B-57 | Molniya | Success | OPS-7310 (SDS) | ||
28 May 1979 18:14 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-25 | 3B-61 | LEO | Success | OPS-7164 (KH-8A) | ||
13 December 1980 16:04 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-3 | 3B-53 | Molniya | Success | OPS-5805 (SDS) | ||
28 February 1981 19:15 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-24 | 3B-59 | LEO | Success | OPS-1166 (KH-8A) | ||
24 April 1981 21:32 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-8 | 3B-60 | Molniya | Partial failure | OPS-7225 (Jumpseat) | Spacecraft failed to separate | |
21 January 1982 19:36 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-26 | 3B-62 | LEO | Success | OPS-2849 (KH-8A HB) | ||
15 April 1983 18:45 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-27 | 3B-63 | LEO | Success | OPS-2925 (KH-8A) | ||
31 July 1983 15:41 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-9 | 3B-65 | Molniya | Success | OPS-7304 (Jumpseat) | ||
17 April 1984 18:45 | Titan III(24)B | 24B-28 | 3B-67 | LEO | Success | OPS-8424 (KH-8A) | Final flight of Titan 24B | |
28 August 1984 18:03 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-4 | 3B-64 | Molniya | Success | USA-4 (SDS) | ||
8 February 1985 06:10 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-10 | 3B-69 | Molniya | Success | USA-9 (SDS) | ||
12 February 1987 06:40 | Titan III(34)B | 34B-51 | 3B-66 | Molniya | Success | USA-21 (SDS) | Final flight of Titan IIIB; Final use of Agena upper stage in any vehicle | |
5 September 1988 09:25 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-1 | B-56 | B-98 | LEO | Success | USA-32 (Bernie) | Maiden flight of Titan 23G |
6 September 1989 01:49 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-2 | B-99 | B-75 | LEO | Success | USA-45 (Bernie) | |
25 April 1992 08:53 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-3 | B-102 | LEO | Success | USA-81 (Bernie) | ||
5 October 1993 17:56 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-5 | B-65 | LEO (target) | Failure | Landsat 6 | Star-37 failed to ignite | |
25 January 1994 16:34 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-11 | B-67 | B-89 | LEO [33] | Success | Clementine DSPSE-ISA | |
4 April 1997 16:47 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37S | 23G-6 | B-106 | LEO | Success | USA-131 (DMSP) | ||
13 May 1998 15:52 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-12 | B-72 | B-80 | LEO | Success | NOAA-15 | |
20 June 1999 02:15 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-7 | B-75 | LEO | Success | QuickSCAT | ||
12 December 1999 17:38 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-8 | B-44 | B-94 | LEO | Success | USA-147 (DMSP) | |
21 September 2000 10:22 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-13 | B-39 | B-96 | LEO | Success | NOAA-16 | |
24 June 2002 18:23 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-14 | B-92 | B-71 | LEO | Success | NOAA-17 | |
6 January 2003 14:19 | Titan II(23)G | 23G-4 | B-72 | LEO | Success | Coriolis | ||
18 October 2003 16:17 | Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP | 23G-9 | B-107 | LEO | Success | USA-172 (DMSP) | Final flight of Titan II |
SpaceX signed a five-year lease of Launch Complex 4W in February 2015, in order to use the area to land reusable launch vehicles at the pad. The location is being used for vertical landing of Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) first-stage boosters of the Falcon 9 rockets that are launched from the adjacent SLC-4E launch pad. [34] [35] This novel use of SLC-4W had initially surfaced in July 2014 when NASASpaceFlight.com published that SpaceX was considering leasing SLC-4W for use as a RTLS vertical-landing facility for reusable first-stage boosters. [36]
Principal structures on the pad were demolished in September 2014 as construction of the landing pad began and was completed sometime around 2017. [37]
For landings at sea, see Autonomous spaceport drone ship
SpaceX has perfected RTLS landings on two landing pads that it has built at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. [35] [38] It was initially thought that the booster used to launch a fourth batch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites in December 2017 would be the first to land at Vandenberg AFB [19] but this mission was ultimately performed in expendable mode. [39] In July 2018, SpaceX applied for a permit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for post-landing communications with a first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket at SLC-4W, pointing to a possible landing sometime in September 2018, possibly for the SAOCOM 1A mission [40] although this was later rescheduled for 8 October 2018 (UTC). A few weeks prior to this first landing attempt it was known to the public, again via FCC permits and also public warnings about sonic booms in the area, that SpaceX had renamed this pad as Landing Zone 4. [34] Finally, this pad was first used for a rocket booster landing of a first stage of a Falcon 9 launch vehicle in October 2018, recovering the booster that had just launched the Argentinian SAOCOM 1A satellite. [34]
Date/time (UTC) | Rocket body | Launch site | Trajectory | Payload | Result | Remarks | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 October 2018 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1048.2 | SLC-4E | SSO | SAOCOM 1A | Success | First landing at LZ-4 | |
12 June 2019 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1051.2 | SLC-4E | SSO | RADARSAT Constellation | Success | ||
21 November 2020 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1063.1 | SLC-4E | SSO | Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich | Success | ||
2 February 2022 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.1 | SLC-4E | SSO | NROL-87 | Success | ||
17 April 2022 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.2 | SLC-4E | LEO | NROL-85 | Success | ||
18 June 2022 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.3 | SLC-4E | SSO | SARah 1 | Success | ||
16 December 2022 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.6 | SLC-4E | Polar Orbit (PO) | SWOT | Success | ||
30 December 2022 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1061.11 | SLC-4E | LEO | EROS-C3 | Success | ||
2 April 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1075.2 | SLC-4E | Polar Orbit (PO) | SDA Tranche 0A | Success | ||
15 April 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1063.10 | SLC-4E | SSO | Transporter 7 | Success | ||
12 June 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.9 | SLC-4E | SSO | Transporter 8 | Success | ||
2 September 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1063.13 | SLC-4E | Polar Orbit (PO) | SDA Tranche 0B | Success | ||
11 November 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1071.12 | SLC-4E | SSO | Transporter 9 | Success | ||
1 December 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1061.17 | SLC-4E | SSO | 425 Project Flight 1 and 24 Secondary Payloads | Success | ||
24 December 2023 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1075.8 | SLC-4E | SSO | SARah 2 & 3 | Success | ||
4 March 2024 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1081.5 | SLC-4E | SSO | Transporter 10 | Success | ||
11 April 2024 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B1082.3 | SLC-4E | SSO | USSF-62 (WSF-M 1) | Success | ||
April 2024 | Falcon 9 B5 first stage booster B10??.? | SLC-4E | SSO | WorldView Legion 1 & 2 (2 Sats) | Planned |
Vandenberg Space Force Base, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX. It is also featured in William Pierces Novel "The Turner Diaries".
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
The SAMOS or SAMOS-E program was a relatively short-lived series of reconnaissance satellites for the United States in the early 1960s, also used as a cover for the initial development of the KH-7 GAMBIT system. Reconnaissance was performed with film cameras and television surveillance from polar low Earth orbits with film canister returns and transmittals over the United States. SAMOS was first launched in 1960 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Titan IIIB was the collective name for a number of derivatives of the Titan II ICBM and Titan III launch vehicle, modified by the addition of an Agena upper stage. It consisted of four separate rockets. The Titan 23B was a basic Titan II with an Agena upper stage, and the Titan 24B was the same concept, but using the slightly enlarged Titan IIIM rocket as the base. The Titan 33B was a Titan 23B with the Agena enclosed in an enlarged fairing, in order to allow larger payloads to be launched. The final member of the Titan IIIB family was the Titan 34B which was a Titan 24B with the larger fairing used on the Titan 33B.
Space Launch Complex 3 (SLC-3) is a launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base that consists of two separate launch pads. SLC-3E (East) was used by the Atlas V launch vehicle before it was decommissioned in August 2021 with the final launch taking place on November 10, 2022 at 09:49, while SLC-3W (West) has been demolished.
Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is a launch pad and support area. The site was originally developed starting in 1966, but no launches occurred until 1995, as it was repurposed sequentially for three programs that were subsequently cancelled. Initially to be used for Titan IIIM rockets and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, these were cancelled before construction of SLC-6 was complete. The complex was later rebuilt to serve as the west coast launch site for the Space Shuttle, but went unused due to budget, safety and political considerations. The pad was subsequently used for four Athena rocket launches before being modified to support the Delta IV launch vehicle family, which used the pad for ten launches from 2006 until 2022. The last Delta IV launched in September 2022, and SpaceX leased SLC-6 in 2023 to convert it to launch Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy starting in 2025.
The Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was launched 109 times between 1960 and 1978. It was used to launch the first five Mariner uncrewed probes to the planets Venus and Mars, and the Ranger and Lunar Orbiter uncrewed probes to the Moon. The upper stage was also used as an uncrewed orbital target vehicle for the Gemini crewed spacecraft to practice rendezvous and docking. However, the launch vehicle family was originally developed for the Air Force and most of its launches were classified DoD payloads.
Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), sometimes pronounced Slick Forty and previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) is a launch pad for rockets located at the north end of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The Titan 34D was a United States expendable launch vehicle used to launch a number of satellites for military applications.
Launch Complex 13 (LC-13) was a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the third-most southerly of the original launch complexes known as Missile Row, lying between LC-12 and LC-14. In 2015, the LC-13 site was leased by SpaceX and was renovated for use as Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2, the company's East Coast landing location for returning Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicle booster stages. It is leased by US Space Force to Phantom Space and Vaya Space who will operate this launch complex after the termination of SpaceX's lease in future.
The Titan 23G, Titan II(23)G, Titan 2(23)G or Titan II SLV was an American expendable launch system derived from the LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile. Retired Titan II missiles were converted by Martin Marietta, into which the Glenn L. Martin Company, which built the original Titan II, had merged. It was used to carry payloads for the United States Air Force (USAF), NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thirteen were launched from Space Launch Complex 4W (SLC-4W) at the Vandenberg Air Force Base between 1988 and 2003.
As of 2023, SpaceX operates four launch facilities: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), and Brownsville South Texas Launch Site (Starbase). Space Launch Complex 40 was damaged in the AMOS-6 accident in September 2016 and repair work was completed by December 2017. SpaceX believes that they can optimize their launch operations, and reduce launch costs, by dividing their launch missions amongst these four launch facilities: LC-39A for NASA launches, SLC-40 for United States Space Force national security launches, SLC-4E for polar launches, and South Texas Launch Site for commercial launches.
Falcon 9 Full Thrust is a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, designed and manufactured by SpaceX. It was first designed in 2014–2015, with its first launch operations in December 2015. As of 23 April 2024, Falcon 9 Full Thrust had performed 306 launches without any failures. Based on the Laplace point estimate of reliability, this rocket is the most reliable orbital launch vehicle in operation.
Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2, also known as LZ-1 and LZ-2 respectively, are landing facilities on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for recovering components of SpaceX's VTVL reusable launch vehicles. LZ-1 and LZ-2 were built on land leased in February 2015, on the site of the former Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 13. SpaceX built Landing Zone 2 at the facility to have a second landing pad, allowing two Falcon Heavy boosters to land simultaneously.
Paz is a Spanish Earth observation and reconnaissance satellite launched on 22 February 2018. It is Spain's first spy satellite. The satellite is operated by Hisdesat. Paz was previously referred to as SEOSAR.
Falcon 9 B1046 was a reusable Falcon 9 first-stage booster manufactured by SpaceX. It flew four times between 2018 and 2020 before it was expended during a successful abort test of the Crew Dragon. It was the first rocket of the final Falcon 9 upgrade, Block 5.
At this point, we are highly confident of being able to land successfully on a floating launch pad or back at the launch site and refly the rocket with no required refurbishment