30th Space Wing Office of History launch chronology for Vandenberg AFB, covering 1958–2000 (February 2000 edition) — a standing reference produced by the base history office.
Earlier and later editions of this same 30th SW launch summary are widely cited in third-party space-launch databases (e.g., spacearchive.info, astronautix.com) and were historically distributed by the 30 SW History Office. The specific February 2000 edition was likely available through that channel, though a specific prior-release URL could not be located in this pass.
•
V ANDENB.ERG AFB
LAUNCH SUMMARY
1958 - 2000
30th SPACE WING
Office of History
• •
DISTRIBUTION LIST
•
1 HQ USAF/XOFS
1 30th RANS/DOUS 1 HQ AFSPC/HO
1 30th RANS/DOU 1 HQ AFSPC/DOSL
1 30th SW/CP 1 HQ USSPACECOM/SPJ330S
1 30th SW/PA 1 HO USSPACECOM/HO
1 30th SW/SEOO 1 2 SWG/DOOL
1 30th SW/XPR 1 45th SW/HO
1 30th SW/CCT 1 SMC/HO
1 30th OSS/D00 1 HO NASA
1 30th Techical Library 1 HO AFMC/ORS
1 576th FlTS/TEE 2 Ogden ALC/LMIM
1 576th FLTS/TEM 1 JIC/ODT
2 Aerospace Corporation 1 TRW/SEDD
1 Boeing Defense & Space Group 1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2 ITT Federal Services Corporation 1 PA-MSB, Kennedy Space Center
2 TRW 1 KSC Library
2 Orbital Sciences Corp
As of: 3 February 2000
FOREWORD
This is the official registry of all major launch operations conducted from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California. The vehicles are presented in chronofogical order beginning with the first launch on 16 December
1958. Launch dates reflect Vandenberg local time.
The information is further grouped into two matrixes titled: "ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY BOOSTER"
and "ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY COMMAND." Two additional items contained in this document are a
"LAUNCH FACILITY GUIDE" and a ''GLOSSARY."
In the main chronology section, the two columns reporting cumulative numbers by booster and command
represent only Vandenberg operations. They do not include, for instance, Titan IV launches conducted on the
East Coast at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The 30th Space Wing History Office (30th SW/HO) periodically updates the Vandenberg AFB Launch
Summary book. Questions may be directed to the undersigned at DSN 275-6421 or commercially at (805)
605-6421. •
Jl:FFREY GEIGER
Office of History
ii
..
• •
• •
GLOSSARY
•
ABRES Advanced Ballistic Reentry System
ABRV Advanced Ballistic Reentry Vehicle (Formerly LBRV)
ACC Air Combat Command (Strategic Air Command [SAC] prior to 1 June 1992.)
ACE Advanced Control Experiment
ADC Aerospace Defense Command
AE Atmosphere Explorer
AEC Atomic Energy Commission
AFMC Air Force Materiel Command (Air Force Systems Command [AFSC] prior to 1 July 1992.)
AFSC Air Force Systems Command (Air Research & Development Command [ARDC] prior to 1 Apr 1961.)
AFSPC Air Force Space Command
AMARV Advanced Maneuverable Reentry Vehicle
AMROC American Rocket Company
ANT Advanced Nose Tip
AST Airborne Surveillance Testbed
ASTP Army Special Test Program
ASTRID Advanced Single Stage Rapid Insertion
BALLISTIC Flight exercise involving ballistic reentry
BATSAT Basic Advanced Technology Satellite
BOMARC Boeing and Michigan Aeronautical Research Center
BMRS Ballistic Missile Reentry System
COBE Cosmic Background Explorer
cos Cosmic Ray Observation Satellite
CRL USAF Cambridge Research Laboratories (Merged into AFSC on 1 April 1971)
CTL Combat Training Launch
DAD Dual Air Density
DASO Demonstration and Shakedown Operation {Category Ill before 1 July 1963)
DG Data Gathering
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
DMSS Defense Meteorological Satellite System
DT Dedicated Target
iii
DT&E Development Test & Evaluation
DT&E PHASE I Development Test & Evaluation (Missile Functional Performance [Peacekeeperll
DT&E PHASE II Development Test & Evaluation (Missile Reentry Vehicle Capabilities and Silo lntergradation [Peacekeeper])
DUAL LAUNCH The launch of two missiles one after another
EOS Earth Observation System
ERCS Emergency Rocket Communications System (494L)
EXOSAT X-Ray Observatory Satellite
FAST Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer
FOE Force Development Evaluation (Replace the term OT PHASE II testing)
FOT Follow-on Operational Test (Replaced by OT PHASE II) (Category IV before 1 July 1963)
FTM Flight Test Missile
GB\ Ground Based lnterceptor
GEOS Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite
GEOSAT Geodetic Satellite (Navy)
GFO Geosat Follow-on
GLCM Ground Launch Cruise Missile
GRP Guidance Replacement Program
HCMM Heat Capacity Mapping Mission
HP Helicopter Pad
ICBM Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
IDF Integrated Demonstration Flight
IFT integrated Flight Test
IPA ICBM Penetration Aids
!PMS Inertial navigation system Performance Measurement System
IRAS Infrared Astronomical Satellite
IRBM Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
IRR Industrial Research Rocket
IRS Interim Recovery System
ITOS Improved Tiros Operational Satellite
!WST Integrated Weapons System Training {RAF/SAC)
JAWSAT Joint Air Force Academy Weber State
iv
• •
,.,
,. •
KOMPSAT Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite
• •
LAGEOS Laser Geodynamic Satellite
LANDSAT Earth Resources Satellite
LBRV Large Ballistic Reentry Vehicle (See ABRV)
LE Launch Emplacement
LF Launch Facility
LLL Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
LLV-1 Lockheed Launch Vehicle 1. (Became Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle, and in Sept 97 was renamed Athena.)
LM Lockheed Martin (Corporation)
MACSAT Multiple Access Communications Satellite
MAGSAT Magnetic Field Measurement Satellite
MaST Maneuvering Systems Technology
MDA McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
MINT Miniaturized Instrumented Nose Tip
MOD Modernized Minuteman (R&D, DASO) Operational tests are identified by the suffix "M" in the nickname
MS Motorola Satcom
MSLS Multi-Service Launch System
MSTI Miniature Seeker Technology Integration
MSX Midcourse Space Experiment
MUBLCOM Multiple Path Beyond Line of Sight Communications
N/A Not Applicable
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NAVSTAR Navigation Satellite (Formerly NDS)
NDS Navigation Development Satellite
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NTS Navigation Technology Satellite
NTV Nosetip Vehicle
'OBLSS Operational Base Launch Safety System
ORBCOMM (FM) Orbital Communications (Flight Module)
ORT Operational Readiness Test
osc Orbital Sciences Corporation
OSL Ogden Special Launch
OSTF Operational System Test Facility
OT Operational Test (Now OT PHASE I) (Category Ill before 1 July 1963)
V
OT PHASE/ (See OT)·
OT PHASE II (See FOT)
PALC Point Arguello Launch Complex
PAS Penetration Aids Study
PLC Probe Launch Complex
PAP Propulsion Replacement System
PVM Production Verification Missile
QuickScat Quick Scatterometer
RADARSAT Radar Satellite
RADCAL Radar Calibration
RAF Royal Air Force
R&D Research and Development (Category I & 11 before 1 July 1963)
REX Radiation Experiment
RSLP Reentry Systems Launch Program
SAC Strategic Air Command
SAFEGUARD An Antiballistic Missile (ABM) test program
SALVO Simultaneous launching of two or more missiles
SAMAST Sandia ABRES Material Systems Test
SAMPEX Solar, Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer
SEASAT Sea [Observation} Satellite
SENT Severe nose-tip Environment Test
SET Single Engine Test
SFT Supplemental Flight Test
SLC Space Launch Complex
SLF Space Launch Facility
SLTF Silo Launch Test Facility
SLV Space Launch Vehicle
SM Solar Mesosphere
SMLV Single Module Launch Vehicle
SNOE Student Nitric Oxide Explorer
SOOS Stacked Oscar On Scout
SOT Special Operational Test
SPACE Orbital space Operations
vi
• •
SPACEPROBE Non-orbital space operations
ST Special Test
STEX Space Technology Experiment
STM Special Test Missile
STP Special Test Program
STREP System Technology Reentry Experiments Program
SWAS Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite
TAC Tactical Air Command
TARGET Missile target for surface-to-air/air-to-air missile firing practice
TAT Thrust Augmented Thor
TD Technology Demonstration
TOT Target Development Test
TDV Technology Development Vehicle
TERRIERS Tomographic Experiment using Radioactive Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio Sources
TIP Transition Improvement Program
TOMS-EP Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe
TREP Thrusted Replica
TP Test Pad
TRACE Transition Region and Coronal Explorer
UTE Unified Test Equipment
WIRE Wide Field Infrared Explorer
vii
•
• • •
• •
LAUNCH FACILITY GUIDE
•
BLDG PRESENT FORMER BLDG PRESENT FORMER BLDG PRESENT FORMER
NMBR DESIGNATION DESIGNATION NMBR DESIGNATION DESIGNATION NMBR DESIGNATION DESIGNATION
NONE PALC-8 NIA 1788 BMRS A-3 576 A-3 1920 576-D NIA
390 SLC-6 NIA 4300 A-3 1935 576-G OSTF-2
580 SLC-5 PALC-D ABRES A-3 1962 LF-21 NIA
589 PLC-C PALC-C 1790 BMRS A-2 576 A-2 1963 LF-10 LF-22
715 SLC-4E PALC-2-4 4300 A-2 1964 LF-23 N/A
738 SLC-4W PALC-2-3 ABRES A-2 1965 LF-24 NIA
751 SLC-3E PALC-1-2 1797 BMRS A-1 576 A-1 1966 LF-25 N/A
770 SLC-3W PALC-1-1 4300 A.-1 1967 LF-26 NIA
939 PLC-A PALC-A ABRES A-1 1971 LF-02 394 A-1
1050 395-C N/A 1799 395-B NIA 1972 LF-03 394 A-2
1520 395-0 N/A 1815 BOMARC-1 NIA 1976 LF-04 394 A-3
1611 576-E NIA 1817 BOMARC-2 NIA 1977 LF-05 394 A-4
1620 SLC-2E 75-1-1 1820 ABRES 8-3 5 76 B-3 1980 LF-06 394 A-5
1623 SLC-2W 75-1 :2 1825 ABRES 8-2 576 B-2 1981 LF-07 394 A-6
1635 SLC-1W 75-3-4 1835 • ABRES 8-1 5 76 8-1 1986 LF-08 394 A-7
1642 SLC-1 E 75-3-5 1836 576-F OSTF-1 • 1993 LF-09 NIA
1651 SLC-1 OE 75-2- 7 1840 TP-01 NIA
LE-7 1861 OSTF N/A
1658 SLC-10W 75-2-6 1875 395 A-1 N/A
4300 B-6 1877 395 A-2 N/A
LE-6 1879 395 A-3 N/A
1661 LE-8 75-2-8 1885 SLTF N/A
1681 4300 C NIA 1895 576-C N/A
viii
ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY COMMAND
1958 - 1998
Chart I
1958 - 1978
~
LAUNCH
AGENCY 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 L
AFSC 1 8 13 29 57 63 48 51 64 63 42 42 29 28 25 24 23 22 16 12 17 677
SAC 1 7 2 15 45 69 50 55 38 24 34 44 43 21 13 14 14 15 12 10 526
NAVY 12 2 5 3 5 6 16 8 8 10 3 5 5 6 6 1 101
NASA 1 2 1 1 4 4 2 2 2 7 3 5 5 2 1 3 45
ADC 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 1 2 1. 1 21
RAF 10 5 4 2 21
AEC 10 1 2 1 2 16
CRL 7 2 1 1 11
~UB IQI8L I 1 31 43 40 79 116 119 101 123 113 78 95 85 84 65 44 49 47 41 32 32 1.418
ix
►,
• • •
• •
....
• ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY COMMAND
1958 - 2000
Chart II
1979 - 2000 & Totals
As of 3 Feb 2000
LAUNCH
AGENCY 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00
AFSC 13 15 10 5 16 13 9 9 10 5 3 2 6 2
SAC 11 9 8 9 9 8 6 7 9 5 8 9 7 2
--1i_:_4---4....:::...+...:.-+-=-+--=+~i---=-+~--=--t-~__;_+-➔~-r~....,;;_r-t--=-ir--t--t--'-t---1i--2-~-i].
NAVY 1 3 2
NASA 1 3 1 3 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1
ADC 1
RAF 0 {'' ,:.z,
AEC 0
CRL 0
ACC 5 2 7
AFSPC 1 2 5 9 7 9 8 7 7 55
AFMC 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 13
AMROC 1 1
TAC 1 1
LLL 1 1
LM 1 1 3 5
OSC (Taurus) 1 2 1 4
OSC (Pegasus) 1 2 4 2 3 2 12
Boeing 2 6 5 2 13
lsuB roTAL 1'21 27 21 17 28 23 17 17 :20 13 13 13 16 13 11 13 11 16 19 18 17 2
1The Pegasus flight program began with three "captive" flights using inert vehicles. These missions were conducted on 9 Nov 89, 15 Dec 89, and 30 Jan 90.
The first seven "live" Pegasus flights, beginning on 5 April 90, as well as the inert flights, originated from the Ames/Dryden Flight Research facility at Edwards
AFB, California. They were carried alof.t by a modified 8-52 aircraft provided by NASA. Beginning with the eight mission, Pegasus was carried by a modified
Lockheed L-1011 aircraft and was staged from Vandenberg AFB.
2 The Delta II program was operated by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace until the company was purchased by Boeing Aerospace, 4 August 1997.
X
...
ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY BOOSTER
•
Chart I
1958 - 1978
!LAUNCH VEHICLE
AMROC
I 58 69 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 ~ L
0
ARG0-8 1 1 1 3
ASTRID 0
ASTROBEE 1500 2 1 3
ATLAS D 1 8 4 17 17 6 18 14 6 91
ATLAS E 1 3 7 2 3 16
ATLAS F 3 5 4 2 2 11 12 7 5 4 2 7 1 1 2 5 73
ATLAS H 0
ATLAS/AGENA A 1 1 2
ATLAS/AGENA B 5 a 3 16
ATLAS/AGENA D 4 10 10 15 3 1 43
ATLAS/BURNER II 1 1 2
ATLAS/PRIME 1 2 3
BLACK BRANT Ill 2 2
BOMARC A 3 5 6 16 8 8 10 56
BOMARC B 2 5 5 6 6 1 25
CASTOR/SCRAMJET 1 1
DAC ROC 2 2
DEACON ARROW II 3 1 4
DELTA 0
GLCM 0
HONEST JOHN/NIKE/NIKE 1 2 3
KIVA/HOPA 7 1 1 9
MINUTEMAN A (I) 2 17 18 3 10 50
MINUTEMAN B Ill 6 34 21 30 34 10 20 19 16 6 11 6 8 3 3 4 231
MINUTEMAN F (Ill 4 10 13 12 25 26 17 10 6 7 4 7 3 3 147
MINUTEMAN G 1111) 5 10 17 14 10 11 11 11 13 10 112
NIKE/AEROBEE 2 2 4
NIKE/ASP 12 12
NIKE/CAJUN .3 3
NIKE/JAVELIN 7 2
NIKENIPER I 4 4
PAIUTE TOMAHAWK 1 1
PEACEKEEPER 0
SCOUT 4 6 5 2 7 7 4 2 1 1 3 1 4 2 2 1 1 53
SCOUT JUNIOR 1 4 4 2 11
SEAGULL 1 . 1
SERGEANT/LANCEA 1 1 2
SMALL ICBM 0
TAT/AGENA B 1 1
TAT/AGENA 0 10 20 15 11 6 1 63
TAURUS 0
TERRIER/ASP IV 2 2
THOR (IRBMJ 1 10 5 4 2 22
THOR/ABLE-STAR 2 3 3 a
THOR/AGENA A a 7 15
THOR/AGENA B 4 17 18 2 41
THOR/AGENA D 8 9 2 3 22
THOR/ALTAIR 4 2 6
THOR/BLOCK 5D-1 1 1 1 3
THOR/BURNER II 1 4 2 1 2 2 12
THOR/BURNER IIA 1 2 1 2 1 1 B
THOR/DELTA 1 4 4 2 2 2 5 3 1 5 2 2 33
THORAD/AGENA D 2 6 10 10 7 6 2 43
TITAN I 2 5 10 1 2 20
TITAN II 7 a 14 9 4 5 1 2 2 1 1 3 1 SB
TITAN II SLV 0
TITAN IIIB/AGENA D 3 7 8 6 5 5 5 4 3 3 4 2 2 57
TITAN IIID 1 3 3 2 2 2 1 2 16 •
TITAN 34D 0
TITAN IV 0
UTE/TOMAHAWK 1 1
jsue TOTAL II 1 j31 j43 j4o j79 j11s j119 (101 j,za j113 j78 j9s las js4 lss j44 (49 (47 j41 ja2 j32 U1,41e
xi
•
ANNUAL LAUNCH SUMMARY BY BOOSTER
Chart II
•
1979 - 1998
GRAND
ILAUNCH VEHICLE l11s 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 ~ TOTAL
AMROC 1 1 1
ARG0-8
ASTRID , ,
0
,
3
ASTROBEE 1500 0 3
ATLAS 0 0 91
ATLAS E 1 1 1 3 3 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 ·2 1 23 39
ATLAS F 2 4 1 7 80
ATLAS H 2 1 1 1 5 s
ATLAS/AGENA A 0 2
ATLAS/AGENA B 0 16
ATLAS/AGENA D 0 43
ATLAS/BURNER II 0 2
ATLAS/PRIME 0 3
BLACK BRANT Ill 0 2
BOMARC A 0 56
BOMARC 8
CASTOR/SCRAMJET
1 3 2 6
0
31
,
DAC AOC 0 2
DEACON ARROW II
DELTA 2 1 2 , 1
0
7
4
7
DELTA II 1 2 6 5 14 14
GLCM 1 1 1
HONEST JOHN/NIKE/NIKE 0 3
KIVA/HOPA 0 9
LOCKHEED LAUNCH VEHICLE (LLV-1) 1 1 2 2
MINUTEMAN A (IJ 0 50
MINUTEMAN B (I}
MINUTEMAN F (II)
6
4
5
, 5 1
3
5
2 ,
2 1 1 2
3
1 1 3 2 1
1 2 1
36
18
267
165
MINUTEMAN G (Ill) 10 9 8 6 7 7 6 7 B 5 7 6 4 4 3 4 2 3 3· 5 114 226
NIKE/AEROBEE 0 4
~
NIKE/ASP 0 12
NIKE/CAJUN 0 3
NIKE/JAVELIN 0 2
NIKENIPER I 0 4
PAIUTE TOMAHAWK 0 1
PEACEKEEPER 3 3 4 5 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 1 45 45
PEGASUS
SCOUT , , , , , , , 3 , , 2 1 1
2 4 2 3 11
16
11
69
SCOUT JUNIOR 0 11
SEAGULL 0 1
SERGEANT/LANCEA 0 2
SMALL ICBM 1 1 2 2
TAT/AGENA B 0 1
TAT/AGENA 0 0 63
TAURUS 1 2 3 3
TERRIER/ASP IV 0 2
THOR (IRBM) 0 22
THOR/ABLE-ST AR 0 B
THOR/AGENA A O· 15
THOR/AGENA B 0 41
THOR/AGENA D 0 22
THOR/ALTAIR
THOR/BLOCK 50-1 1 , 0
2 5
B
THOR/BURNER II 0 12
THOR/BURNER IIA 0 8
THOR/DELTA 0 33
THORAD/AGENA D 0 43
TITAN I 0 20
TITAN II 0 58
TITAN II SLV 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 7
TITAN 111B/AGENA D 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 11 68
TITAN 111D 1 2 1 2 6 22
TITAN 34D 1 2 1 1 1 1 7 7
TITAN IV
UTE/TOMAHAWK
2 1 1 1 2 1 8
0 ,
8
•
SUBTOTAL 27 27 21 17 28 23 17 17 20 13 13 13 16 13 11 13 11 16 19 18 353 1,771
xii
ANNUAL LAONCH SUMMARY BY BOOSTER T
Chart Ill
1999 - 2018
I I I I II I II I I I I I I I I I
•
~
GRANO
kAUNCH VEHICLE 1199 loo ,,~~~ALI TOTAL
AMROC 1
ARGO-8 3
ASTRID 1
ASTROBEE 1500
[…truncated…]