Vandenberg offers new launch site for small and medium rockets
The U.S. Space Force is seeking potential users of a new launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base reserved for smaller rockets.
The Space Force released a request for information June 8 seeking interest from launch vehicle operators in Space Launch Complex (SLC) 9, a proposed launch site at Vandenberg that would be used for small- and medium-class launch vehicles. Responses to the RFI are due July 8.
The Space Force said in a statement it is offering the site to both promote the growth of the launch industry and meet "critical national security objectives."
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"The further development of small and medium launch capabilities at VSFB is a strategic priority, enhancing our resilience and agility in space operations," Col. James Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30, responsible for launch operations at Vandenberg, said in a statement.
SLC-9 is in the northern part of the "South Base" area of Vandenberg that hosts most of the current launch facilities at the base. It is a short distance north of SLC-3, a site United Launch Alliance used for the Atlas 5 and is upgrading to support launches of its Vulcan Centaur.
The site several years ago was linked to Blue Origin, which was considering developing a New Glenn launch site there. However, the company ended consideration of that facility and, in April, the Space Force announced it had entered negotiations with the company to establish a New Glenn launch site at SLC-14, another greenfield site in the southern part of the base near the coast.
According to the RFI, the Space Force is offering SLC-9 to operators of small or medium launch vehicles. The RFI defines a "small launch vehicle" as one with a payload capacity of less than 2,000 kilograms and a "medium launch vehicle" as one with a capacity of 2,000 to 20,000 kilograms.
The RFI asks companies to demonstrate both "sufficient financial maturity" to fund development of launch facilities at SLC-9 and the "highest technical maturity" of the launch vehicle. The latter, as defined in the RFI, is the ability to begin launch operations within three years of an agreement to use the launch site.
The Space Force is also interested in any other capabilities the companies can offer by launching from SLC-9, such as point-to-point cargo delivery, payload return, vehicle reuse and "survivability," according to the RFI.
The focus on small and medium launch vehicles limits the pool of potential users of the site. Firefly Aerospace, which currently uses another Vandenberg launch pad for its Alpha small launch vehicle, is developing the Eclipse medium-class vehicle in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Relativity Space and Stoke Space are also building medium-class launch vehicles that will initially launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but they may be interested in a Vandenberg pad to reach high-inclination orbits.
Rocket Lab operates the small Electron rocket and is developing the medium-class Neutron rocket but has not discussed launches outside its New Zealand and Virginia facilities. It is unclear whether other vehicle developers would meet the financial and technical maturity requirements the Space Force included in the RFI.
The announcement about SLC-9 comes amid concerns about launch demand straining capacity at both Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral. That has led to interest in alternative spaceports as well as sea-based launch platforms.
The Space Force stated in the RFI that one of its evaluation criteria will be how the proposed users of SLC-9 will be able to mitigate impacts on other launch facilities at the base as well as any new infrastructure beyond the launch site itself, such as roads and utilities, that the users will need.
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