Vandenberg Space Force Base: Difference between revisions

Vandenberg Air Force Base
Part of Air Force Space Command (AFSC)
Located near: Lompoc, California
Titan IV Centaur rocket launch from Space Launch Complex-4 East, Vandenberg AFB, 19 October 2005
Coordinates	34°43′57″N 120°34′05″W / 34.73250°N 120.56806°W / 34.73250; -120.56806 (Vandenberg AFB)
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1941
In use	1957-Present
Garrison information
Garrison	30th Space Wing (USAF)

Vandenberg AFB

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Location of Vandenberg AFB, California

Vandenberg Air Force Base (IATA: VBG, ICAO: KVBG, FAA LID: VBG) is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately 9.2 miles (14.8 km) northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command (AFSC).

Vandenberg AFB is a Department of Defense space and missile testing base, with a mission of placing satellites into polar orbit from the West Coast, using expendable boosters (Pegasus, Taurus, Minotaur, Atlas V and Delta IV). Wing personnel also support the Service's LGM-30G Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force Development Evaluation program.

The base is named in honor of former Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg.

The host unit at Vandenberg AFB is the 30th Space Wing. The 30th SW is home to the Western Range, manages Department of Defense space and missile testing, and places satellites into near-polar orbits from the West Coast. Wing personnel also support the Air Force's Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force Development Test and Evaluation program. The Western Range begins at the coastal boundaries of Vandenberg and extends westward from the California coast to the Western Pacific, including sites in Hawaii. Operations involve dozens of federal and commercial interests.

The wing is organized into operations, launch, mission support and medical groups, along with several directly assigned staff agencies.

• 30th Launch Group

The 30th Launch Group is responsible for booster and satellite technical oversight and launch processing activities to include launch, integration and test operations. The group consists of an integrated military, civilian and contractor team with more than 250 personnel directly supporting operations from the Western Range.

1st Air and Space Test Squadron

4th Space Launch Squadron

• 30th Operations Group

The 30th Operations Group provides the core capability for West Coast spacelift and range operations. Operations professionals are responsible for operating and maintaining the Western Range for spacelift, missile test launch, aeronautical and space surveillance missions.

• 30th Mission Support Group

The 30th Mission Support Group supports the third largest Air Force Base in the United States. It is also responsible for quality-of-life needs, housing, personnel, services, civil engineering, contracting and security.

• 30th Medical Group

The 30th Medical Group provides medical, dental, bio-environmental and public health services for people assigned to Vandenberg Air Force Base, their families and retirees.

Tenant organizations assigned to Vandenberg are:

• Fourteenth Air Force
• Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC SPACE)
• 9th Space Operations Squadron
• 21st Space Operations Squadron (GSU, 50th Space Wing)
• 576th Flight Test Squadron
• 381st Training Group
• 148th Space Operations Squadron (California ANG)
• 216th Operations Support Squadron (California ANG)
• NASA Resident Office
• Air Force Office of Special Investigations)

^[3]

Vandenberg Air Force Base is named in honor of the late General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, second Air Force Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and chief architect of today's modern Air Force.^[4]

General Vandenberg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 24, 1899. In 1923, he graduated from West Point. During World War II, Colonel Vandenberg was transferred to England and assisted in planning air operations for the invasion of North Africa. He received his first star in December 1942, and became chief of staff of the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa under General James H. Doolittle. During this campaign he flew over two dozen combat missions over Tunisia, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, and Panteileria to obtain firsthand information. ^[4]

In March 1945, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and full general in 1947. Meanwhile, in January 1946, General Vandenberg was appointed chief of the intelligence division of the General Staff. In June, he was named director of the Central Intelligence Group, predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency formed in 1947.^[4]

With the establishment of a separate Air Force in September 1947, Vandenberg became its first vice chief of staff under General Carl Spaatz, and succeeded him on April 30, 1948. He held that post through the critical periods of the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) and the Korean War (1950-1953). ^[4]

General Vandenberg retired from the Air Force in June 1953. He died in Washington, D.C. on April 2, 1954.^[4]

In 1941 the United States Army sought more and better training centers for the rapid development of its armored and infantry forces. In March 1941, the Army acquired approximately 86,000 acres of open ranch lands along the Central Coast of California between Lompoc and Santa Maria. Most of the land was purchased. Smaller parcels were obtained either by lease, license, or as easements. With its flat plateau, surrounding hills, numerous canyons, and relative remoteness from populated areas, the Army was convinced it had found the ideal training location. ^[5]

Construction of the Army camp began in September 1941. Although its completion was still months away, the Army activated the camp on October 5, and named it Camp Cooke in honor of Major General Phillip St. George Cooke. ^[5]

General Cooke was a cavalry officer whose military career spanned almost half a century, beginning with his graduation from West Point in 1827 to his retirement in 1873. He participated in the Mexican War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War. A native of Virginia, General Cooke remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Perhaps his most enduring achievement came when as a colonel during the Mexican War, he led a battalion of Mormons from Missouri to California. The route led by Colonel Cooke in 1847 opened the first wagon route to California, and today the railroad follows much of the early wagon trails. ^[5]

Although the construction of Camp Cooke continued well into 1942, troop training did not wait. The 5th Armored Division rolled into camp in February and March, and the steady roar of its tanks and artillery soon became part of the daily scene. From then until the end of the war, other armored and infantry divisions kept up the din before they too left for overseas duty. ^[5]

Besides the 5th Division, the 6th, 11th, 13th, and 20th Armored Divisions as well as the 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions, and the 2d Filipino Infantry Regiment were all stationed at Cooke at varying times during the war. Also trained at Cooke were an assortment of anti-aircraft artillery, combat engineer, ordnance, and hospital units. Over 400 separate and distinct outfits passed through Camp Cooke. ^[5]

As the war progressed, German and Italian prisoners of war (the latter organized into Italian Service Units) were quartered at Camp Cooke. Both groups were kept separate from each other in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and worked on the post at various jobs including mechanical and civil engineering services, clerical positions, food service, and the main laundry. To help relieve the severe labor shortage in the commercial market created by wartime exigencies, the Germans also worked in local communities - mostly in agricultural jobs. ^[5]

A maximum security army disciplinary barracks was constructed on post property in 1946. Confined to the facility were military prisoners from throughout the Army. When Camp Cooke closed in June 1946, personnel at the disciplinary barracks received the additional duty as installation caretakers. Practically the entire camp was then leased for agriculture and grazing. ^[5]

From August 1950 to February 1953, Camp Cooke served as a training installation for units slated for combat in Korea, and as a summer training base for many other reserve units. On February 1, 1953, the camp was again inactivated. The disciplinary barracks, meanwhile, was transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to house civilian offenders in August 1959. Today it is known as the United States Penitentiary at Lompoc. ^[5]

In September of 2000, veterans of the 40th Infantry Division gathered an Vandenberg Air Force Base to dedicate its Korean War Memorial. In June of 2001, the final remnants of Camp Cooke, including some barracks used by the 40th Infantry Division during its mobilization for the Korean War, were torn down. ^[5]

World War II

Korean War

• 40th Infantry Division
• 44th Infantry Division

^[6]

Four years later the military would return to Camp Cooke, but this time the Air Force was here to stay. With the advent of the missile age in the 1950s, an urgent need arose for an adequate training site that could also serve as America's first combat ready missile base. In January 1956, a select committee was formed that examined more than 200 potential sites before Camp Cooke was chosen, essentially for the same characteristics the Army found desirable in 1941. Besides its size, remoteness from heavily populated areas, and having a moderate climate that afforded year-round operations, most importantly, Cooke's coastal location allowed missiles to be launched into the Pacific Ocean without population overflights. This same geographic feature also enabled satellites to be launched into polar orbit directly toward the South Pole without overflying any land mass until reaching Antarctica. ^[5]

In September 1956, Secretary of the Air Force, Donald A. Quarles accepted the committee's recommendation. A few weeks later, on November 16, 1956, Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson directed the Army to transfer 64,000 acres of North Camp Cooke to the United States Air Force for use as a missile launch and training base. In June 1957, North Camp Cooke was renamed Cooke Air Force Base, and on 21 June 1957 was transferred to the Air Force. In January, however, the Air Force, had received access to the camp, and with the arrival of the first airman in February, established on the 15th the 6591st Support Squadron. The initial mission of Cooke AFB was to serve both as a training site for the PGM-17 Thor, SM-65 Atlas, and HGM-25A Titan I missiles, and as an emergency operational facility for Atlas ICBM.^[5][7]

The scene that met the first airmen to the base was a cluttered mass of dilapidated World War II buildings amid weeds and brush growing everywhere. Roads-mostly gravel and dirt trails-were in need of extensive repair. In late April 1957, parallel renovation and construction programs started. Over the next two years, missile launch and control facilities began to appear as tons of concrete and steel transformed the landscape. Old buildings were renovated and new ones built, including Capehart military family housing. The work was already in process when the Air Force hosted the official ground breaking ceremonies on 8 May 1957. ^[5]

To operate Cooke AFB, the 392d Air Base Group was activated, replacing the 6591st Support Squadron on April 15, 1957. With the activation of the 704th Strategic Missile Wing (Atlas) at Cooke on July 1, the 392d was assigned to the wing. This was the first Air Force ballistic missile wing. On July 16, the 1st Missile Division, activated three months earlier in Inglewood, California, relocated to Cooke AFB to supervise wing operations. During this formative period, the work of these latter two organizations involved planning for missile operations and training. The Division was assigned to Air Force Ballistic Missile Division (AFBMD) in Inglewood, which in turn reported to Air Research and Development Command (ARDC) at Andrews AFB, Maryland. ^[5]

The launching of the Russian Sputnik 1 satellite into orbit on October 4, 1957, followed a month later by Sputnik 2 that carried a dog into space, had military implications and caused an immediate acceleration of the United States Air Force's missile program. As part of the acceleration, on 23 November 1957, the Department of Defense authorized the peacetime launching of ballistic, missiles from Cooke AFB. The Air Force transferred management responsibilities for Cooke AFB from ARDC to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) on January 1, 1958. Along with the transfer, SAC acquired the three ARDC base organizations and responsibility for attaining initial operational capability (IOC) for the nascent U.S. missile force. Their mission also included training missile launch crews. ^[5]

The reorganization allowed ARDC to retain responsibility for site activation as well as research and development testing of ballistic missiles, also known as Category II testing. These activities were carried out by an AFBMD field office established at Cooke shortly after the transfers of January 1958. Space launches were to be conducted by ARDC and SAC. However, the vast majority of these operations were later handled by ARDC. Sharing the mission at Cooke, the two commands cultivated a close relationship that was to flourish for the next 35 years. ^[5]

On 12 February 1958, the Department, of Defense transferred executive responsibility for the Jupiter IRBM from the Department of the Army to the Air Force. Headquarters SAC transferred the 864th Strategic Missile Squadron (IRBM-Jupiter) from Huntsville, Alabama, to Cooke AFB. In April, Headquarters SAC activated the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron (ICBM-Atlas) at Cooke AFB. It was SAC's first ICBM squadron and first Atlas squadron. Initially, it consisted of two "soft" Series D Atlas complexes (576A and 576B). The first had three gantries while the second had three above ground coffin launchers similar to those planned for the first squadron in the field. Each complex had one launch control center. Thus, the squadron had a 3x2 configuration. In July, Construction began at Cooke AFB on the Operational System Test Facility (OSTF) for the Titan I ICBM. This was the prototype of the hardened Titan I launch control facility and consisted of one silo-lift launcher, blockhouse, and associated equipment. The first Thor IRBM arrived at Cooke AFB in August. ^[5][7]

The southern portion of Cooke AFB (Formerly Camp Cooke), consisting of more than 19,800 acres, was transferred to the U.S. Navy in May 1958. The Navy was in the process of establishing a Pacific Missile Range (PMR) with a headquarters 100 miles south of Cooke at Point Mugu, and instrumentation sites along the California coast and at various islands down range in the Pacific Ocean. The property it acquired was renamed the Naval Missile Facility at Point Arguello. It became a major launch head and range safety center for all missile and satellite launch operations conducted within the PMR.^[5]

On November 16, 1963, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara ordered a restructuring in the way the Department of Defense managed and operated its missile ranges and flight test facilities across the nation. Part of the force restructuring had the Navy transfer major sections of its Pacific Missile Range, including its Point Arguello installation, to the Air Force in two parts. The first transfer occurred on July 1, 1964. In the second part of the transfer, remote properties and mobile resources, explained in detail in the next section, were handed over to Vandenberg on February 1, 1965. ^[5]

With the Navy's missile program and range authorities scaled back to the area around Point Mugu, the Air Force now assumed full responsibility for missile range safety at Vandenberg and over much of the Pacific Ocean. The Air Force renamed this geographical area the Air Force Western Test Range. The designation remained until 1979 when it was shortened to the Western Test Range. ^[5]

The final land acquisition at Vandenberg occurred on March 1, 1966, after the Air Force had announced plans to construct Space Launch Complex 6 for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. Flight safety corridors for the Titan III MOL vehicle reportedly extended south of Point Arguello and inland to an area known as Sudden Ranch. The Air Force sought to purchase this property, but when negotiations with the Sudden Estate Company failed to reach a compromise purchase price, the government turned to condemnation proceedings (under the power of eminent domain). By filing a Declaration of Taking with the federal court in Los Angeles, it obtained almost 15,000 acres of Sudden Ranch. Finalized on December 20, 1968, the federal court established $9,002,500 as the purchase price for the land. The total amount paid to the company with interest was $9,842,700. ^[5]

The annexation of Sudden Ranch increased the size of the base to its present 99,099 acres (154.84 square miles). Today, Vandenberg stands as the third largest Air Force base after Eglin AFB in Florida, and Edwards AFB in California. ^[5]

On 4 October 1958, Cooke AFB was renamed Vandenberg AFB in honor of the late General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the Air Force's second Chief of Staff.^[5]

The transition from Army camp to missile base solidified on 15 December 1958 when Vandenberg AFB successfully launched its first missile, a PGM-17 Thor IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile) The launch from Vandenberg inaugurated the intermediate-range ballistic missile portion of the Pacific Missile Range and was fired by a crew from the 1st Missile Division. The first successful launch of a Thor IRBM by a Royal Air Force crew took place at Vandenberg AFB on 16 April 1959. This launch was part of integrated weapon system training. In October, the first combat training launch of a Thor IRBM by a Royal Air Force crew was successful.

On 22 April 1960, the fourth and final British-based Thor IRBM squadron was turned over to the Royal Air Force by the Strategic Air Command, thus completing the deployment of this weapon system in the United Kingdom. The next month, the first missile to be removed from an operational unit and sent to Vandenberg AFB for confidence firing arrived from a Thor IRBM squadron (98th RAF Strategic Missile Squadron) in the United Kingdom. Confidence firing was the predecessor of SAC's operational test program.^[5][7]

On 16 October 1958, the first Atlas ICBM launcher (576A-1) constructed at Vandenberg AFB, California, was accepted from the contractor by the 1st Missile Division. The first intercontinental ballistic missile, the SM-65D Atlas ICBM, was delivered to Vandenberg AFB and was accepted by SAC's 576 SMS on 18 February 1959. The first Atlas-D flew from Vandenberg on 9 September 1959, and following the successful launch, General Thomas S. Power, CINCSAC, declared the Atlas ICBM to he operational. The following month, equipped with a nuclear warhead, the Atlas at Vandenberg became the first ICBM to be placed on alert in the United States. It was an SM-69D Atlas ICBM (AFSN 58-2190) on launcher 576A-1. In April 1960, the first attempted launch of a Series D Atlas ICBM from a coffin-type launcher (576B-2) at Vandenberg AFB, California, was successful. This launcher was the prototype of the ones to be used at the first operational Atlas squadron, the 564th Strategic Missile Squadron, Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Following this successful launch, Major General David Wade, Commander of the 1st Missile Division, declared the coffin-type launcher to be operational.^[7]

In July 1959, construction began on the first Series E Atlas ICBM coffin-type launcher (Atlas operational system test facility #1). Construction began on the first Series F Atlas ICBM "silo-lift" launcher (Atlas operational system test facility #2) in November. The first Atlas F arrived in June 1961. ^[7]

As a space booster, the Atlas rocket was also configured with an RM-81 Agena upper stage rocket and the Atlas-Agena carried many different types of satellites into orbit. In 1961, the HGM-25A Titan I entered the ICBM inventory at Vandenberg AFB, but was soon replaced by the more advanced LGM-25C Titan II ICBM with storable propellants, all inertial guidance, and in-silo launch capability. Like its predecessor the Atlas ICBM, the Titan II GLV a derivative of that missile was used to launch Project Gemini spacecraft and the Titan 23G was used as a space booster to launch satellites. ^[5]

The advent of solid-propellant gave the three-stage LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM a major advantage over earlier liquid propellant ICBMs. LGM-30A Minuteman IA flight tests began at Vandenberg in September 1962. ^[5]

Beginning in June 1983, the first LGM-118 Peacekeeper (MX) ICBM was launched from Vandenberg. In additional to having a longer range than earlier ICBMs, the Peacekeeper could deliver up to 10 reentry vehicles to separate targets. ^[5]

The latest missile deployed at Vandenberg in 2005 is the Ground-based Interceptor (GBI) missile. It is part of a National missile defense System advocated by President George W. Bush. ^[5]

Vandenberg launched the world's first polar orbiting satellite, Discoverer I on 28 February 1959. The launch vehicle for this mission consisted of a Thor-Agena combination. ^[5]

The Discoverer series of satellites provided other significant firsts for Vandenberg. For instance, in August 1960, the data capsule was ejected from Discoverer XIII in orbit and recovered from the Pacific Ocean to become the first man-made object ever retrieved from space. A week later, on 19 August, the descending capsule from |Discoverer XIV was snared by an aircraft in flight for the first air recovery in history. ^[5]

Shrouded in a cover story of scientific research, Discoverer was actually the cover name for Corona, America's first photo reconnaissance satellite program. The publicized Discoverer series came to an end on 13 January 1962. After 37 launches or launch attempts, the cover story for Discoverer had simply worn out. ^[5]

Over the years, unmanned satellites of every description and purpose, including international satellites, were placed in orbit from Vandenberg by a widening variety of boosters. Among the parade of newer space boosters are the Titan IV (March 1991), Taurus (March 1994), Pegasus (April 1995), Delta II (February 1996), Atlas IIAS (December 1999), Minotaur (2000), and beginning in late 2005, the Falcon 1, the Delta IV, and Atlas V vehicles. ^[5]

The most ambitious Air Force endeavors at Vandenberg were the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) and the Space Shuttle programs. The MOL vehicle consisted of a Titan III booster carrying a modified Gemini space capsule (Gemini B) attached to a space laboratory. Construction work for MOL began at Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) on South Vandenberg in March 1966. President Richard Nixon canceled the estimated $3 billion program in June 1969, as a result of cost overruns, completion delays, emerging new technologies, and the expense of fighting the Vietnam War. SLC-6 remained closed for the next decade. ^[5]

In 1972, Vandenberg was selected as the West Coast Space Shuttle launch and landing site, but it has never been used as such.

Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6, pronounced as "Slick Six"), originally built for the abandoned Manned Orbital Laboratory project, was extensively modified for shuttle operations. Over $4 billion was spent on the modifications to the complex and construction of associated infrastructure. The original Mobile Service Tower (MST) was lowered in height and two new flame ducts were added for the shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters. Additional modifications or improvements included liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen storage tanks, a payload preparation room, payload changeout room, a new launch tower with escape system for the shuttle crewmembers, sound suppression system and water reclamation area and a Shuttle Assembly Building were added to the original complex.

Additionally, the existing 8,500 foot (2,590 m) runway and overruns on the North Base flightline were lengthened to 15,000 feet (4580 m) to accommodate end-of-mission landings, along with construction of the Precision Approach and Path Indicator (PAPI) lights/large triangle arrows at both ends of the runway. Turn-around servicing and refurbishing of the Orbiter would be accomplished in the adjacent Orbiter Maintenance and Checkout Facility (OMCF). The Mate-Demate Facility, to load and unload the Orbiter from the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), was changed from the large structure found at Dryden Flight Research Center and Kennedy Space Center, to a transportable "erector set-like" Orbiter Lifting Frame (OLF). This facility design change was due to the possibility of needing to support a landing at a location where there was no facility to upload onto the SCA. The OLF could be dissassembled, loaded onto two C-5 aircraft, shipped to the overseas Orbiter landing site, and reassembled to upload the Orbiter onto the 747. To transport the Orbiter from the OMCF (on North Vandenberg AFB) to SLC-6, the 22-mile (35 km) route was upgraded to accommodate a 76-wheeled vehicle built specifically to carry the Orbiter on its large flat deck utilizing the three external tank interface points (built by Commetto, Italy), versus towing the Orbiter on its landing gear that long distance.

Modification of SLC-6 to support polar missions had been problematic and expensive.^[8] SLC-6 was still being prepared for its first Shuttle launch, mission STS-62-A targeted for October 15, 1986, when the Challenger disaster grounded the Shuttle fleet and set in motion a chain of events that finally led to the decision to cancel all West Coast Shuttle launches. The orbiter transporter was sent to KSC after the Vandenberg AFB launch site was abandoned and it is used to transport the Orbiter from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Persistent site technical problems, however, and a joint decision by the Air Force and NASA to consolidate Shuttle operations at Cape Canaveral in Florida, following the Challenger tragedy in 1986, resulted in the official termination of the Shuttle program at Vandenberg on December 26, 1989.

Had the space shuttle program been successful at SLC-6, the West Coast operation would have contrasted with that at the Kennedy Space Center by creating the orbiter stack directly on the launch pad, rather than assembling it and then moving it. Three movable buildings on rails, the Launch Tower, Mobile Service Building and Payload Changeout Room were used to assemble the Shuttle orbiter, external tank and SRBs. These buildings were designed to protect the shuttle "stack" from high winds in the area and were used during a series of "fit tests" utilizing the space shuttle Enterprise in 1985.

Since the demise of the shuttle program at Vandenberg, SLC-6 was once again been reconfigured, this time to support polar-orbit satellite launches by the new Delta IV family of launch vehicles, utilizing a Common Core Booster for class sizes all the way up to and including the Delta IV (Heavy) launcher. As it is currently configured, the 132-acre (0.53 km²) launch site features structures similar to Boeing's Delta IV SLC-37 launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with a Fixed Umbilical Tower, Mobile Service Tower, Fixed Pad Erector, Launch Control Center and Operations Building, and a Horizontal Integration Facility. SLC-6 also features a Mobile Assembly Shelter that protects the rocket from adverse weather.

The first of the Delta IV launch vehicles to fly from SLC-6 successfully lifted off at 8:33 p.m. PDT on June 27, 2006 when a Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket lofted NROL-22, a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, into orbit. The payload was successfully deployed approximately 54 minutes later.

As of November 2005, 1,858 orbital and ballistic missiles had lifted off from Vandenberg AFB.

The Space and Missile Heritage Center preserves and displays artifacts and memorabilia to interpret the evolution of missile and spacelift activity at Vandenberg from the beginning of the Cold War through current non-classified developments in military, commercial, and scientific space endeavors.

The initial display area is made up of two exhibits, the "Chronology of the Cold War" and the "Evolution of Technology". The exhibits incorporate a combination of launch complex models, launch consoles, rocket engines, re-entry vehicles, audiovisual and computer displays as well as hands-on interaction where appropriate. The Center will evolve in stages from these initial exhibit areas as restorations of additional facilities are completed.

The Center is located at Space Launch Complex 10, site of the first IRBM tests of the Thor and Discoverer (aka Corona spy satellite) series of launches. It is Vandenberg's only National Historic Landmark that is open for regularly scheduled tours through the 30th Space Wing's Public Affairs office.

• Air Research and Development Command, 21 June 1957
• Strategic Air Command, 1 January 1958
• Air Force Space Command, 15 January 1991-Present

^[15]

^[15][16][17]

Vandenberg Air Force Base
census-designated place
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Barbara
Area [18]
• Total	22.121 sq mi (57.294 km2)
• Land	22.034 sq mi (57.068 km2)
• Water	0.087 sq mi (0.226 km2)  0.39%
Elevation [19]	512 ft (156 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	3,338
• Density	150/sq mi (58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
GNIS feature ID	2409501
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vandenberg Space Force Base

According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 57.3 km² (22.1 sq mi). 57.1 km² (22.0 sq mi) of it is land and 0.087 km² (0.034 sq mi) of it (0.39%) is water.

Much of the base is rugged, mountainous, and undeveloped; predominant groundcover includes chaparral with coastal sage scrub and oak woodland. Because of its protected nature—none of the backcountry areas are open to the public or to any kind of development—the base contains some of the highest quality coastal habitat remaining in southern or central California. It is home to numerous threatened or endangered species, including Gambel's watercress (Nasturtium gambelii).^[20] The western terminus of the Santa Ynez Mountains is on the base, and is dominated by Tranquillion Peak, which rises 2,297 feet (700 m) above sea level. An optical tracking station is located at the top of the peak, which overlooks the various space launch complexes.

The United States Census Bureau has designated the base as its own census-designated place for statistical purposes.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Vandenberg AFB had a population of 3,338. The racial makeup of Vandenberg AFB was 2,317 (69.4%) White, 307 (9.2%) African American, 26 (0.8%) Native American, 207 (6.2%) Asian, 24 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 140 (4.2%) from other races, and 317 (9.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 616 persons (18.5%).^[21]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,151 people, 1,707 households, and 1,601 families residing in the base. The population density was 107.7/km² (278.8/mi²). There were 1,992 housing units at an average density of 34.9/km² (90.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the base was 72.3% White, 11.7% African American, 0.5% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 5.0% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.1% of the population.

There are 1,707 households, out of which 71.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 87.2% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.2% were non-families. 5.4% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the base, the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 44.7% from 25 to 44, 1.9% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 109.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males.

The median income for a household in the base was $39,444, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $27,352 versus $22,283 for females. The per capita income for the base was $13,570. About 6.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Vandenberg supports a population greater than 18,000 composed of military, family members, government contractors, and civilian employees.

The majority of the workforce that does not live on base resides in the immediate northern Santa Barbara county communities of Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Santa Ynez, Orcutt or Santa Maria. A small percentage commute from as far south as Santa Barbara and Isla Vista to as far north as the Five Cities area near San Luis Obispo, which are all roughly an hour's drive along U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1 to the base's five access gates.

The base's ZIP code is 93437 and its area code 805.

In the state legislature Vandenberg AFB is located in the 19th Senate District, represented by Republican Tony Strickland, and in the 33rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Sam Blakeslee. Federally, Vandenberg AFB is located in California's 24th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +5^[22] and is represented by Republican Elton Gallegly.

• Joint Functional Component Command for Space
• Point Arguello
• Point Arguello Light

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Official sites

• History/Chronology of Vandenberg AFB
• Space and Missile Heritage Center

Other

• Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule
• Vandenberg AFB Launch History
• Vandenberg AFB at GlobalSecurity.org
• FAA Airport Diagram for Vandenberg AFB (PDF), effective September 5, 2024
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAA airport information for VBG
  • AirNav airport information for KVBG
  • ASN accident history for VBG
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KVBG