[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

[Launch Alert]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
			      Brian Webb
		  launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
	                www.spacearchive.info
		       
                                   2020 May 2 (Saturday) 16:53 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

		   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

         All launch dates and times are subject to change.

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

JUL 31?         Unknown                  Firefly Alpha       SLC-2W
Firefly Alpha first flight. Vehicle will carry multiple payloads into
orbit

AUG             Unknown                  Minuteman III       ---
ICBM test launch. Vehicle will probably send an unarmed warhead on a
ballistic trajectory to the central Pacific. Launch was publicly
announced by 20th Air Force Public Affairs

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

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

NOV 30?         Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the SmallSat Rideshare Mission 1

DEC 31?         Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch the WorldView Legion 1 and Legion 2 satellites
into orbit

JAN 13          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.

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

     MINUTEMAN III TEST ON SCHEDULE, MISSION READY AMID PANDEMIC
                      By 1st Lt Ieva Bytautaite
                    20th Air Force Public Affairs
                           2020 April 30

F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- There is no question about it - 
the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) mission is a unique
portion of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) nuclear
enterprise. Even as the nation is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the
nuclear mission requires a 24/7/365 work force that is always ready
and reliable.

Operational tests of unarmed Minuteman III ICBMs, which are conducted
by the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California, are no exception and currently still on schedule. Test
launches are a vital part of ensuring reliability and capability of
the weapon system and provide valuable data to ensure a continued
lethal, safe and sure nuclear capability. The tests also serve as a
visible sign of mission capability of the ICBM force to our allies
and partners.

The process of selecting sorties for testing is random, ensuring an
accurate representation of the force.

“This way we have confidence that the operational force is lethal,
accurate and ready,” said Maj. Gen. Fred Stoss, 20th Air Force
commander.

The next test launch is currently scheduled for August, and the test
sortie is already en-route to Vandenberg AFB.

“We have always been ready before COVID-19, we are going to be ready
during COVID-19, I assure you that,” said Stoss.  “And we will be
ready as we recover, after COVID-19, with no change in margin and no
change in readiness.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                           SECURITY POLICY

Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2020, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.