The premier US West Coast launch site. High-inclination and sun-synchronous orbits are only possible from here, not Cape Canaveral. Starlink trains launched from Vandenberg are visible across most of the world.
A launch site's latitude determines which orbits are achievable and at what fuel cost. Vandenberg at 34.6323°N sets the following constraints:
From 34.6323°N, Vandenberg can reach 4 Starlink inclination shells: 43°, 53°, 70°, 97.6° SSO (polar).
Trains launched to higher inclinations are visible from more of the world. A 97° SSO train from Vandenberg would be visible at virtually every latitude; a 53° train is visible from latitudes up to ±55° (primarily) — mostly tropical and subtropical regions. In the hours after launch — before satellites raise their orbits — a tight train of 20–60 bright dots crosses the sky roughly every 90 minutes. Use OrbitalNodes' Starlink tracker for exact train pass times.
Vandenberg Space Force Base is located at 34.6323°N, 120.6106°W in California, USA. It is owned and operated by US Space Force. The site has conducted approximately 700 orbital launches since its first in 1959.
Current vehicles operating from Vandenberg Space Force Base include Falcon 9, Atlas V, Delta IV. Primary customers are SpaceX, ULA, launching Starlink (53°/70°/97° SSO), reconnaissance satellites, Earth observation.
At 34.6323°N, Vandenberg's minimum achievable inclination is 34.6° (due-east launch). The ISS at 51.6° is reachable with a dogleg manoeuvre. The site can reach orbits between roughly 35° and 98° inclination.
Yes — Vandenberg Space Force Base hosts an extremely high cadence of approximately 40 orbital launches per year. Viewing areas are open to the public for many launches. Rockets are often visible for several hundred kilometres after liftoff.
Satellites regularly launched from Vandenberg include Starlink (53°/70°/97° SSO), reconnaissance satellites, Earth observation. The ISS was supplied or crew-launched from sites at similar latitudes. Use OrbitalNodes to track any visible satellite in real time.
Vandenberg at 34.6323°N was positioned to access the full range of low-Earth orbits including the ISS corridor. The site has been operational since 1959.
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