Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6

Space Launch Complex 6

Boeing Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) lifts off from SLC-6.
Launch site	Vandenberg AFB
Location	34.5813 N 120.6266 W
Short name	SLC-6
Operator	US Air Force
Launch pad(s)	One
Min / max orbital inclination	51° - 145°
Launch history Status Active Launches 10 First launch 15 August 1995 Athena I / GemStar-1 Last launch 10 February 2016 Delta IV / NROL-45 Associated rockets Titan III (unused) Space Shuttle (unused) Athena I/II Delta IV (current)

Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6, nicknamed "Slick Six") at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is a launch pad and support area. The site was originally developed for the Titan III and Manned Orbiting Laboratory, which was cancelled before construction of SLC-6 was complete. The complex was later rebuilt to serve as the west coast launch site for the Space Shuttle, but again went unused due to budget, safety and political considerations. The pad was subsequently used for several Athena launches before being modified to support the Delta IV launch vehicle family, which have used the pad since 2006.

Launches from Vandenberg fly southward, allowing payloads to be placed in high-inclination orbits such as polar or Sun-synchronous orbit, which allow full global coverage on a regular basis and are often used for weather, Earth observation, and reconnaissance satellites. These orbits are difficult to reach from Cape Canaveral, where launches must fly eastward due to major population centers to both the north and south of Kennedy Space Center. Avoiding these would require hugely inefficient maneuvering, greatly reducing payload capacity.

SLC-6, part of Vandenberg's "South Base," was originally part of the Sudden Ranch, prior to its purchase by the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1960s under the law of eminent domain. In addition to the ranch, the Point Arguello lighthouse was based there, which has since then been replaced by an off-shore LORAN tracker. With the purchase of the base, the Air Force started construction of the SLC-6 facility on March 12, 1966 to support launches of a modified Titan III for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). After significant construction work was completed, the MOL program was cancelled on June 10, 1969, so further work on SLC-6 stopped as the facility was placed in mothball status.