Launch Complex 576 is a group of rocket

launch pad A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term ''launch pad'' can be used to describe just the central launch platform (mobile launcher platform), or the entire ...

s at

Vandenberg Space Force Base Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from th ...

. The pads were used from 1959 until 1971 to launch

SM-65 Atlas The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dyna ...

missiles. The site was also known as Complex ABRES. Pads in Area 576 include 576A-1, 576A-2 and 576A-3, 576B-1, 576B-2 and 576B-3, 576-C, 576-D, 576-E, OSTF-1 and OSTF-2. The first operational launch of an Atlas missile by the

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

was conducted from 576A-2 by the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron on September 9, 1959. It impacted away, near

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

. The first

Atlas F The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile, only differing from the Atlas E in the launch facility and guidance package used. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between ...

launch at Vandenberg took place from 576-E on 1 August 1962.

Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...

now launches their

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * ''Bos taurus ...

rockets from 576-E.Federal Register /Vol. 73, No. 245 / Friday, December 19, 2008
Proposed Rules
page 77579 The LC 576E is also a candidate site for launches of

Kinetic Energy Interceptor The Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) was a planned U.S. missile defense program whose goal was to design, develop, and deploy kinetic energy-based, mobile, ground and sea-launched missiles that could intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles ...

(KEI) boosters. The

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

and

Missile Defense Agency The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. It had its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which ...

anticipate a minimum of three KEI launches per year from 2009 to at least 2012.

576A

The first pad in the complex, 576A-2, hosted the inaugural Atlas launch from the West Coast when Missile 12D flew a successful arc across the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

on 9 September 1959. The site was not used again until 1965 when it was converted for the

and hosted 13 ABRES and OV-1 launches. The second pad in the complex, 576A-3, began operation in 1960. It hosted reentry vehicle and Nike-Zeus target tests on the

Atlas D The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dyna ...

and Atlas F through 1974. Pad 576A-1 was severely damaged when Atlas 19D exploded on it during a fuel loading exercise on 5 March 1960. It did not enter regular use as a launching facility until 1962 when it hosted Atlas D reentry vehicle and Nike-Zeus target tests. In 1967, the pad was converted for the Atlas F and hosted more reentry vehicle tests until being decommissioned in 1974. One space launch took place from 576A-1, the launch of RADSAT in 1972.

576B

576B's three pads were coffins sites for

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

ICBM tests. The facility was the source of some trouble in the beginning due to a construction error as one umbilical on the silo was installed incorrectly. After four failed launches from 576B, it was discovered that the umbilical was releasing prematurely at liftoff when it still had live electrical current in it, which shorted out components in the missiles. Repairs were made during early 1961 and launches resumed that May 1961. 576B-1 began operation in 1960 and hosted five missile tests until 1965, when it hosted Nike-Zeus and reentry vehicle tests. The pad was decommissioned in 1966. 576B-2 hosted

ICBM tests from 1960 to 1963, then it supported Nike-Zeus and reentry vehicle tests. The pad was decommissioned in 1967. 576B-3 hosted Atlas D ICBM tests from 1960 to 1963, then it supported reentry vehicle and OV-1 satellite launches. The pad was decommissioned in 1967.

576C

Pad 576C was only used for three

Atlas E The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dyna ...

tests in 1963.

576D

Pad 576D was only used for two Atlas F tests in 1963-1964.

576E

Pad 576E was used for four Atlas F tests in 1962-1964. Since 1994, the facility was revived for

Minotaur-C Minotaur-C (''Minotaur Commercial''), formerly known as Taurus or Taurus XL, is a four stage solid fueled launch vehicle built in the United States by Orbital Sciences (now Northrop Grumman) and launched from SLC-576E at California's Vandenber ...

and Taurus launches.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandenberg Launch Complex 576 Vandenberg Space Force Base Launch complexes of the United States Space Force 1959 establishments in California