United States Space Force · Lompoc, California, United States
Launch Pads
3 active (SLC-4E Falcon 9, SLC-6 standby, SLC-2W Firefly)as of [1]Annual Launches
~30as of [1]Primarily polar/SSO missions from Vandenberg; predominantly SpaceXMax Payload (LEO)
15,600 kg to polar orbit (Falcon 9 Block 5)as of [2]Established
1957
Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's central coast is the primary U.S. launch site for polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions. Its southward launch corridor over the Pacific Ocean makes it ideal for reconnaissance satellites and Earth observation missions. SpaceX operates SLC-4E here for Falcon 9 launches.
| Region | North America |
| Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Coordinates | 34.7420° N, -120.5724° E |
| Ownership | Military |
| Parent Entity | U.S. Space Force (Space Launch Delta 30) |
| Regulatory Regime | U.S. Space Force Western Range + FAA-AST Part 450 for commercial users |
| Latitude Advantage | 34.7°N — high enough to give a clear southward Pacific corridor for polar/SSO without overflight risk; the only U.S. site that does this at scale. |
| Azimuth Range | 147°–201° (SSO/polar; some retrograde inclinations possible) |
| Employees | ~18,000 (military + civilian + contractor with SLD 30) |
| Website | https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/ |
Anchor Tenants
Active Users
Strategic Value
America's monopoly site for polar and sun-synchronous launches — every U.S. Earth-observation, weather, and reconnaissance constellation transits here. Growing commercial SSO demand (Earth-observation startups, Starshield) makes Vandenberg a structurally undersupplied capacity story.
Recent Activity
Record commercial SSO cadence through 2025 driven by Starlink polar shells and Earth-observation customers; SLC-6 conversion for Vulcan Centaur completed 2025.
2026
Vulcan Centaur first operational NSSL launch from SLC-6
2026
NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR) launch on GSLV from VAFB (planned cooperative window)
2027
Western Range automated flight safety baseline