[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

[Launch Alert]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
			      Brian Webb
		  launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
	                www.spacearchive.info
		       
                               2019 December 22 (Sunday) 16:41 PST
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		   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

         All launch dates and times are subject to change.

		     Launch
		   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------       --------

FEB 18          Unknown                  Firefly Alpha       SLC-2W
Firefly Alpha first flight

MAR             Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the SmallSat Rideshare Mission 1

SEP             Unknown                  Delta IV Heavy      SLC-6
The vehicle will carry the classified NROL-82 payload into orbit for
the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office

OCT             Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the SmallSat Rideshare Mission 9

NOV             Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the Sentinel 6A (Jason-CS) satellite

DEC             Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the SmallSat Rideshare Mission 11

DEC             Unknown                  Atlas V             SLC-3
Vehicle will launch the Landsat 9 earth observation satellite

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.). 

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

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                    U.S. SPACE FORCE ESTABLISHED
                        Department of Defense
                          2019 December 20

(DEC 20) PENTAGON, Washington D.C. -- Today the President signed the
2020 National Defense Authorization Act and with it, directed the
establishment of the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed
forces.

“We are at the dawn of a new era for our Nation’s Armed Forces. The
establishment of the U.S. Space Force is an historic event and a
strategic imperative for our Nation. Space has become so important to
our way of life, our economy, and our national security that we must
be prepared as a Nation to protect it from hostile actions,” said
Secretary of Defense, Mark T. Esper. “Our Military Services have
created the world’s best space capabilities. Now is the time for the
U.S. Space Force to lead our Nation in preparing for emerging threats
in an evolving space environment. This new service will help ensure we
are postured to deter aggression, defend our national interests and
outpace potential adversaries.”

“Space is critical to our nation's economic interests, national
security, and way of life,” said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley. “In military operations, space is not just
a place from which we support combat operations in other domains, but
a warfighting domain in and of itself. Our adversaries are building
and deploying capabilities to threaten us, so we can no longer take
space for granted. The U.S. Space Force is the necessary and essential
step our Nation will take to defend our national interests in space
today and into the future.”

“The launch of the U.S. Space Force propels the nation into a new
era,” said Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara M. Barrett. “An agile,
lean and technologically-advanced force of talented professionals will
now singularly focus on protecting our U.S. national interests and
security in space.”

“With the establishment of the Space Force we elevate the organize,
train and equip function consistent with the criticality of the space
domain,” said Gen. Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations and
Commander, U.S. Space Command. “The U.S. Space Force will deliver the
capabilities U.S. Space Command needs to control and exploit space for
national advantage.”

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For the transcript of a press briefing about this newest branch of
the U.S. Armed Forces, go to:

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/
2045979/space-force-briefing/

- Editor

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