Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 10

Space Launch Complex 10

A Thor DSV-2U carrying a DMSP weather satellite launches from SLC-10W in 1980. This was the last orbital launch from the complex.
Launch site	Vandenberg AFB
Location	34°45'55"N 120°37'20"W
Short name	SLC-10
Operator	US Air Force Royal Air Force
Total launches	38
Launch pad(s)	2
Min / max orbital inclination	51° – 145°
SLC-10W launch history Status Inactive Launches 32 First launch 14 August 1959 PGM-17 Thor Last launch 15 July 1980 Thor DSV-2U / DMSP-5D1 F-5 Associated rockets PGM-17 Thor Thor MG-18 Thor-Burner Thor DSV-2U SLC-10E launch history Status Inactive Launches 6 First launch 16 June 1959 PGM-17 Thor Last launch 19 March 1962 PGM-17 Thor Associated rockets PGM-17 Thor
Space Launch Complex 10
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
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Location	Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California
Coordinates	34°45′55″N 120°37′20″W / 34.76528°N 120.62222°W / 34.76528; -120.62222Coordinates: 34°45′55″N 120°37′20″W / 34.76528°N 120.62222°W / 34.76528; -120.62222
Architect	United States Air Force
NRHP Reference #	86003511[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 23, 1986
Designated NHL	June 23, 1986[2]

Space Launch Complex 10, or Missile Launch Complex 10,^[3] is located on Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California. It was built in 1958 to test ballistic missiles and developed into a space launching facility in 1963.^[4] Prior to 1966 Space Launch Complex 10 West was known as Vandenberg AFB Pad 75-2-6.^[5] It remains a rare pristine look at the electronics and facilities created in that era that helped the United States grow its space capabilities.

The last launch from this complex was a Thor booster in 1980.^[3] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.^[2][3]

It is undergoing an eight-year restoration, and public visits are possible, if arranged in advance.^[6]

Uses

RAF

SLC-10 was used to train military operators of PGM-17 Thor ballistic missiles, and to conduct missile launch tests. Seven launch attempts were conducted from SLC-10E by British Armed Forces Royal Air Force crews, of which six were successful. (There was also one PGM-17 Thor missile launch by an RAF crew from SLC-10W, which took place 1959-08-14.^[3])

Johnston Island

The facilities at SLC-10 were dismantled and transported to Johnston Island in support of Operation Dominic, a nuclear weapons testing project conducted there in 1962.

DMSP

The equipment was returned to Vandenberg to support early launches of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which were conducted at SLC-10W from 1965 to 1980, using the Thor satellite launch vehicles, the first stages of which followed the design of the Thor missile.

References

External links

• Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
• DOD NHL details for California

Spaceflight National Historic Landmarks
Alabama	Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Propulsion and Structural Test Facility Redstone Test Stand Saturn V Launch Vehicle Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand
Florida	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Control Center Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities Crawlerway Vehicle Assembly Building Operations and Checkout Building Central Instrumentation Facility Launch Complex 39 Launch Complex 39 Press Site
Arizona	Air Force Facility Missile Site 8
California	Space Flight Operations Facility Space Launch Complex 10 Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel USS Hornet (CV-12)
Mississippi	Rocket Propulsion Test Complex
New Mexico	White Sands V-2 Launching Site
Ohio	Zero Gravity Research Facility Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility
Texas	Apollo Mission Control Center Space Environment Simulation Laboratory
Maryland	Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility
Virginia	Rendezvous Docking Simulator Lunar Landing Research Facility