Shim
Space and astronomy news and information for the American Southwest. Coverage includes Vandenberg SFB rocket and missile launches.

Vandenberg SFB Launch Schedule

As of 2024 November 5

A Taurus rocket carrying the ROCSAT-2 satellite lifts-off from Vandenberg SFB

A Taurus rocket carrying Taiwan's ROCSAT-2 satellite lifts-off from Space Launch Complex 576E at Vandenberg SFB. To access launch photos, videos, and audio reports, visit the Vandenberg Rocket and Missile Launch Multimedia library. Image courtesy U.S. Air Force.

This schedule lists rocket and missile launches from Vandenberg SFB for the next several months. It is a composite of unclassified information from open sources. This schedule is believed to be generally accurate at the time of publication, but may disagree with other sources. Details on U.S. military launches are withheld until they are publicly released or reported in the news media. For detailed information about this schedule, refer to the Notes section below.

To receive this launch schedule and launch updates by e-mail, click here.

This schedule does not list launches that have not been publicly announced. All launch dates and times are subject to change and are listed in 24-hour format.

Date Launch
Time/Window
PST/PDT
Vehicle Pad/Silo Comments
NOV 5-6 23:01-05:01 Minuteman III --- Vehicle will probably fly a ballistic trajectory to the central Pacific
NOV 7 00:00 Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch several Starlink satellites into orbit
NOV 29 To be announced Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch the Transporter 12 rideshare mission into orbit
NOV 29 To be announced Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch several Starlink satellites into orbit
DEC 30 To be announced Alpha SLC-2W Vehicle will launch the Lockheed Martin Demo 1 mission into orbit
DEC 30 To be announced Minotaur IV Unknown Vehicle will launch the NROL-174 mission into orbit
DEC 30 To be announced Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch the SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A mission into orbit
DEC 30 To be announced Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch the NAOS mission into orbit
FEB-APR To be announced Falcon 9 SLC-4E Vehicle will launch the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions into orbit
MAY 30 To be announced Minotaur IV Unknown Vehicle will launch the EWS OD-1 into orbit

Notes

  1. This schedule may disagree with other launch schedules because different sources were used, the information was interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different times.

  2. All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00, 11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

  3. The above schedule makes no distinction between Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daylight Saving Time (PDT). PST is in effect from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March. PDT is in effect from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

  4. The Pacific Time zone lags UTC by 7 or 8 hours, depending on the time of year. The time difference is as follows:

    2024 MAR 10 - 2024 NOV 3: Pacific Time = UTC -7 hours

    2024 NOV 3 - 2025 MAR 9: Pacific Time = UTC -8 hours

  5. Launch dates are fluid and tend to change over time.

  6. Prior to the launch of a classified payload, the exact launch time is usually not released until about T-18 to T-4 hours. The launch window is also witheld. Instead of providing the launch window, a launch period is often announced. A launch period is a large block of time within which the launch window falls.

  7. For additional information on Vandenberg SFB launches, refer to Viewing Vandenberg Rocket and Missile Launches.

Abbreviations

NETNo Earlier Than
PDTPacific Daylight Time
PSTPacific Standard Time
SLCSpace Launch Complex
UTCCoordinated Universal Time

Home | Site Map | Search | About | Contact

Copyright © 2001-2024, Brian Webb. All rights reserved.