Public hearings on SpaceX’s plans will be held in January to address environmental concerns and opportunities to increase launches.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on December 28, carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. This launch marked the 47th and final orbital launch of the year from Vandenberg, a pace not seen since the 1960s.
Launches from Vandenberg have increased dramatically in recent years, with a single Falcon 9 orbital launch in 2020. In 2024, SpaceX provided all orbital launches from the base, except for one launch of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket in July. An environmental study underway could potentially allow for even more launches.
On December 13, the Air Force Department announced that it would conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIS) to evaluate both the increase in SpaceX launches from Vandenberg and the use of a second launch complex.
The EIS will assess the environmental impacts of renovating Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) to accommodate Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. The Air Force had already approved SpaceX’s access to SLC-6 in 2023, following the last launch of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket from the facility.
The proposed action is necessary to meet current and near-term U.S. Government requirements to launch spacecraft from a Department of Defense (DoD) site that supports VSFB-centered launches, particularly for medium and heavy launch vehicles targeting polar, geostationary, and other orbits less reliably accessible elsewhere, without compromising current launch capabilities. The proposed action will also enhance launch capabilities by rehabilitating the heavy launch vehicle at VSFB, the Department of the Air Force said in a public notice of the planned EIS on a dedicated website.
The Department of the Air Force plans to hold three public meetings from January 14-16 in Santa Barbara, California, and an online meeting on January 23 to discuss the planned EIS and solicit comments on what should be included in the scope of the study.
The study’s website offers an accelerated timeline for the EIS, with a final version of the study expected to be published in the fall, alongside a decision on which option the Air Force will pursue. The study includes two options that are identical except for which hangar facility SpaceX will use at SLC-6, as well as a “no-action alternative.” In contrast, the Air Force’s separate EIS for Starship launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida began scoping meetings in March but is not scheduled for completion until the fall.
Plans to further increase launches from Vandenberg could face opposition from those concerned about the environmental impact of the effort. In October, the California Coastal Zone Commission voted to reject a “determination of consistency” from the Air Force seeking to increase the number of Falcon 9 launches at Vandenberg from 36 to 50 per year.
The U.S. Department of the Air Force also announced it will begin renovating the SLC-6 launch complex for use by SpaceX for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. The complex was built in the 1960s for the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory program but was mothballed following the 1986 Challenger shuttle accident. SpaceX gained access to SLC-6 in 2023 and plans to use it for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches.
