The Air Force has erected an inert version of its LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., the service announced Sept. 14. Officials also confirmed at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference that they still expect to finish restructuring the long-troubled ...
Vandenberg Space Force Base
America’s launch enterprise has been outperforming expectations for more than a decade, steadily increasing the missions it can support, the pace of resetting launch pads, and the agility to launch on demand. In 2025 alone, the service’s two spaceports,...
A new White House policy calls for the Pentagon to craft plans for additional space launch facilities to support a projected increase in launch demand that could see the U.S. supporting as many as 1,000 launches by 2030, more than a fivefold increase from 2025.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman is warning lawmakers that the Space Force may eventually have to limit the number of launches it can support each year without additional resources to manage surging demand at its spaceports.
York Space Systems said it has confirmed the health of 21 satellites that launched July 16 as part of the Space Development Agency’s data transport constellation.
The Space Development Agency resumed its Tranche 1 launch effort July 16, sending 21 data transport satellites to continue building out a mesh network in low-Earth orbit.
Air Force Global Strike Command tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early May 20, launching the ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
A recent study of the Space Force’s launch infrastructure found that the service needs a third launch site to manage surging government and commercial launch demand.
In the last five years, the annual launch rate at the Space Force’s West Coast range has surged from a handful of missions to 66 in 2025. Now, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California expects to support 150 launches in the next five years and ...
The Space Force this month established a squadron dedicated to defending against cyber intrusions at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., as concerns about threats to the service’s physical and digital launch infrastructure are on the rise.
United Launch Alliance executives say the firm is “well positioned for the future” despite falling short of its projected launch cadence in 2025 and seeing longtime CEO Tory Bruno depart in early January for competitor Blue Origin.
The Space Force is eyeing upgrades to launch more and bigger rockets from its western range at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., in the coming years.
