Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 8

Space Launch Complex 8
A Minotaur rocket launches Streak from SLC-8.
Map
Launch siteVandenberg Space Force Base
Location34°34′34″N 120°37′57″W / 34.5762°N 120.6324°W / 34.5762; -120.6324
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Short nameSLC-8
Operator
Orbital inclination
range
51° – 145°
Launch history
StatusActive
Launches9
First launch27 January 2000
Last launch11 August 2011
Associated
rockets
Minotaur I (current)
Minotaur IV (current)
Athena I (proposed)
Athena II (proposed)

Space Launch Complex 8 (SLC-8), is a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States. It is currently only used by Minotaur rockets. It was originally part of the California Spaceport and was known as the Commercial Launch Facility (CLF) or Space Launch Facility (SLF).[1] In addition to supporting occasional Minotaur rockets, SLC-8 is capable of hosting small launch vehicles thanks to a new clean pad built in 2019; as of 2024, this has not been used.[2] Much like the Minotaur rocket family itself, SLC-8 has seen little use since the early 2010s.[3]

As of May 2024, nine rockets - six Minotaur I and three Minotaur IV - have been launched from SLC-8.

  1. ^ "SLC-8 Overview". Spaceport Systems International. 1999.
  2. ^ "Spaceports By State". faa.gov. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Vandenberg SLC8". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-28.