Active 🇺🇸United States
Space Launch Complex 6
A launch pad at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.14 launches have flown from it since August 1995, 12 of 14 successfully.
Location
Pad record
- Coordinates
- 34.5815° N
120.6262° W - Status
- Active
- Spaceport
- Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Country
- United States
- LL2 pad tally
- 14 upstream count
- Reference
- Wikipedia
About this pad
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.
Who launches from here
2 operatorsVehicles flown
6 typesLaunches per year
decided flightsOrbits delivered
4 destinationsFlight record
14 flights| Date | Mission | Vehicle | Operator | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-24 | Delta IV Heavy | NROL-91 | Delta IV Heavy | United Launch Alliance | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2021-04-26 | Delta IV Heavy | NROL-82 | Delta IV Heavy | United Launch Alliance | Sun-Synchronous Orbit | Success |
| 2019-01-19 | Delta IV Heavy | NROL-71 | Delta IV Heavy | United Launch Alliance | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2018-01-12 | Delta IV M+(5,2) | NROL-47 | Delta IV M+(5,2) | United Launch Alliance | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2016-02-10 | Delta IV M+(5,2) | NROL-45 (Topaz-4) (USA-267) | Delta IV M+(5,2) | United Launch Alliance | Sun-Synchronous Orbit | Success |
| 2013-08-28 | Delta IV Heavy | NROL-65 (USA-245 / KH-11) | Delta IV Heavy | United Launch Alliance | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2012-04-03 | Delta IV M+(5,2) | NROL-25 (FIA-R) (USA-234) | Delta IV M+(5,2) | United Launch Alliance | – | Success |
| 2011-01-20 | Delta IV Heavy | NROL-49 (KH-11) (USA-224) | Delta IV Heavy | United Launch Alliance | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2006-11-04 | Delta IV M | DMSP F-17 | Delta IV M | – | Sun-Synchronous Orbit | Success |
| 2006-06-28 | Delta IV M+(4,2) | NROL-22 | Delta IV M+(4,2) | – | High Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1999-09-24 | Athena II | Ikonos | Athena II | Lockheed Martin | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1999-04-27 | Athena II | Ikonos 1 | Athena II | Lockheed Martin | Polar Orbit | Failure |
| 1997-08-23 | Athena I | Lewis | Athena I | Lockheed Martin | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1995-08-15 | Athena I | Gemstar DSS-1 | Athena I | Lockheed Martin | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
Pad records from Launch Library 2. Flights and company identity fromSpace Index. How the numbers are derived.