Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 6

Space Launch Complex 6
	Boeing Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) lifts off from SLC-6.
Launch site	Vandenberg SFB
Location	34.5813 N; 120.6266 W
Short name	SLC-6
Operator	US Space Force
Launch pad(s)	One
Orbital inclination ; range	51° - 145°
Status
Launch history
Status	Inactive Pending modifications for SpaceX
Launches	14
First launch	15 August 1995; Athena I / GemStar-1
Last launch	24 September 2022; Delta IV Heavy / NROL-91
Associated; rockets	Titan IIIC (plans canceled); Space Shuttle (plans canceled); Titan IV (plans canceled); Athena I (retired); Athena II (retired); Delta IV (retired); Delta IV Heavy (retired); OmegA (plans canceled); Falcon 9 (future); Falcon Heavy (future);

Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6, pronounced "Slick Six") 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.^[3] 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.^[4]^[5]

Launches from Vandenberg fly southward, allowing payloads to be placed in high-inclination orbits such as polar or Sun-synchronous orbit, which allow full global coverage on a regular basis and are often used for weather, Earth observation, and reconnaissance satellites. These orbits are difficult to reach from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where launches must fly eastward due to major population centers to both the north and south of Kennedy Space Center. Avoiding these would require major inefficient maneuvering, greatly reducing payload capacity.^[6]

^ https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1296462155559186436 Archived 2020-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger, 20 August 2020.
^ "Space Launch Delta 30 to Lease Space Launch Complex 6 to SpaceX". U.S. Space Force. May 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
^ Ray, Justin (February 17, 2011). "Spaceflight Now | Delta Launch Report | California pad's history illustrates switch from space shuttles to rockets". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
^ Scully, Janene (4 December 2023). "SpaceX Yearly Launch Rate at Vandenberg SFB Could Soar to 100 by 2025". Noozhawk. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
^ Roulette, Joey (April 24, 2023). "SpaceX wins approval to add fifth U.S. rocket launch site". Reuters.
^ "Launch Sites". NASA Human Spaceflight Office. Archived from the original on 1999-10-13.

[berger20200820-1] ttps://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1296462155559186436 Archived 2020-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger, 20 August 2020.

[2] "Space Launch Delta 30 to Lease Space Launch Complex 6 to SpaceX". U.S. Space Force. May 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.

[3] Ray, Justin (February 17, 2011). "Spaceflight Now | Delta Launch Report | California pad's history illustrates switch from space shuttles to rockets". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.

[noozhawk-20231204-4] Scully, Janene (4 December 2023). "SpaceX Yearly Launch Rate at Vandenberg SFB Could Soar to 100 by 2025". Noozhawk. Retrieved 5 December 2023.

[spacex-lease-5] Roulette, Joey (April 24, 2023). "SpaceX wins approval to add fifth U.S. rocket launch site". Reuters.

[6] "Launch Sites". NASA Human Spaceflight Office. Archived from the original on 1999-10-13.

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