Overview
Most satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB are intended for government and commercial use (32.8%) and for the purpose of earth observation (38.4%).Majority of these satellites are LEO satellites, with around 227 (97.8%) launched so far.
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Insights from the dataset of satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB
Which year saw the most satellites launched?
Who operates or owns the most satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB?
Which country operates or owns the most satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB?
Which rocket has delivered the most satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB to space?
What is the most common type of satellite orbit?
Apogee, Perigee & Period
Satellite Mass
Highlights on some of the satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB:
Operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of USA, Icesat-2 is a government satellite launched for the purpose of earth science (Laser Imaging).
Delivered via Delta 2 (launch vehicle) from Vandenberg AFB, it was launched into space on 15 September 2018 and orbits the Earth as a polar LEO satellite. Icesat-2 was constructed by Northrup Grumman Information Systems (USA).
Designed with an operational lifetime of 3 years, Icesat-2 has a launch mass of 1,515 kg and navigates with the COSPAR ID 2018-070A and NORAD ID 43613.
With an orbital eccentricity of 9.51E-04, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 455km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 468km. It takes 94 minutes to orbit the Earth at an inclination of 93 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
IRIS.
A government satellite, IRIS is operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of USA for the purpose of space science.
Constructed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) (USA), it was launched into space using L1011 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 28 June 2013. IRIS orbits around the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite.
With a launch mass of 236kg and a dry mass of 678kg, IRIS is designed to operate in space for a lifetime of 2 years. It orbits around the Earth with the COSPAR ID 2013-033A and NORAD ID 39197.
Using its self-produced usable power of 50 watts, IRIS orbits at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
The satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 620km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 664km. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 3.14E-03 and it takes 98 minutes to orbit the Earth.
Heaviest satellite launched by Canadian Space Agency into space at 1,430 kg
A government satellite, RCM-1 is operated by Canadian Space Agency of Canada for the purpose of earth observation (Radar Imaging).
Constructed by MDA Corporation (Canada), it was launched into space on 12 June 2019 using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB. RCM-1 orbits around the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite.
RCM-1 has a launch mass of 1,430 kg and is expected to have a operational lifetime of 7 years. It navigates with the COSPAR ID 2019-033A and NORAD ID 44322.
With an orbital eccentricity of 1.44E-03, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 584km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 604km. It takes 97 minutes to orbit the Earth at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Designed for space science, ELFIN-A is a commercial and civil satellite operated by University of California (USA).
Delivered via Delta 2 (launch vehicle) from Vandenberg AFB, it was launched into space on 15 September 2018 and orbits the Earth as a polar LEO satellite. ELFIN-A was constructed by University of California (USA).
ELFIN-A has a launch mass of 4 kg and orbits around the Earth with the COSPAR ID 2018-070E and NORAD ID 43617.
Taking 94 minutes to orbit the Earth, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 443km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 469km. The eccentricity of the orbit is 1.90E-03 and it orbits at an inclination of 93 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
SMAP.
Designed for earth observation (Earth Science), SMAP is a government satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (USA).
Delivered via Delta 2 (launch vehicle) from Vandenberg AFB, it was launched into space on 31 January 2015 and orbits the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite. SMAP was constructed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA) (USA).
SMAP is designed to operate in space for a lifetime of 3 years. It orbits around the Earth with the COSPAR ID 2015-003A and NORAD ID 40376.
With an orbital eccentricity of 1.85E-03, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 660km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 686km. It takes 98 minutes to orbit the Earth at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Heaviest satellite launched by Iridium Communications, Inc. into space at 860 kg
Operated by Iridium Communications, Inc. of USA, Iridium Next 167 is a government and commercial satellite launched for the purpose of communications.
A polar LEO satellite, it was launched into space using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 11 January 2019. Iridium Next 167 was constructed by Thales Alenia Space/Orbital ATK (France/Italy/USA).
With a launch mass of 860kg and a dry mass of 678kg, Iridium Next 167 is designed to operate in space for a lifetime of 15 years. It orbits around the Earth with the COSPAR ID 2019-002K and NORAD ID 43931.
Taking 97 minutes to orbit the Earth, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 612km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 625km. The eccentricity of the orbit is 9.30E-04.
With generated usable power of 50 watts, Iridium Next 167 orbits at an inclination of 87 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Second heaviest satellite launched by ORBCOMM Inc. into space at 45 kg
Operated by ORBCOMM Inc. of USA, ORBCOMM FM-4 is a commercial satellite launched for the purpose of communications.
Constructed by Orbital Sciences Corp. (USA), it was launched into space using Taurus as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 10 February 1998. ORBCOMM FM-4 orbits around the Earth as a polar LEO satellite.
Designed with an operational lifetime of 5 years, ORBCOMM FM-4 has a launch mass of 45 kg and dry mass of 22 kg. It navigates with the COSPAR ID 1998-007C and NORAD ID 25159.
Using its self-produced usable power of 160 watts, ORBCOMM FM-4 orbits at an inclination of 108 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
The satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 768km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 838km. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 4.88E-03 and it takes 101 minutes to orbit the Earth.
Second heaviest elliptical satellite launched into space at 490 kg
Operated by Canadian Space Agency of Canada, Cassiope is a government satellite launched for the purpose of earth science.
A elliptical LEO satellite, it was launched into space using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 29 September 2013. Cassiope was constructed by Canadian Space Agency (Canada).
Designed with an operational lifetime of 2 years, Cassiope has a launch mass of 490 kg and navigates with the COSPAR ID 2013-055A and NORAD ID 39265.
Taking 103 minutes to orbit the Earth, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 325km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 1,486km. The eccentricity of the orbit is 7.98E-02.
With generated usable power of 600 watts, Cassiope orbits at an inclination of 81 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Heaviest satellite launched by Finland into space at 80 kg
Operated by ICEYE Ltd. of Finland, ICEYE-X2 is a commercial satellite launched for the purpose of earth observation (Radar Imaging (SAR)).
Constructed by ICEYE Ltd. (Finland), it was launched into space using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 3 December 2018. ICEYE-X2 orbits around the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite.
ICEYE-X2 has a launch mass of 80 kg and orbits around the Earth with the COSPAR ID 2018-099AU and NORAD ID 43800.
Taking 96 minutes to orbit the Earth, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 570km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 587km. The eccentricity of the orbit is 1.22E-03 and it orbits at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Get more insights from these satellite datasets
Full datasets: All satellites by launch date | The Heaviest Satellites That Are Launched to Space
By Use Type: Civil-use satellites | Commercial satellites | Government satellites | Military satellites
By Country: USA | UK | France | Germany | Japan | China | Russia | Australia | Canada
By Orbit Class/Type: LEO satellites | MEO satellites | GEO satellites | Elliptical orbit | Polar orbit | Equatorial orbit | Non-polar inclined orbit | Sun-synchronous orbit | Molniya orbit
By Operators: SpaceX | EUTELSAT | SES | European Space Agency (ESA) | Planet Labs | Iridium | Spire Global | OneWeb | Swarm Technologies | NASA - Dataset of Satellites Launched (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) | Canadian Space Agency (CSA) - Dataset of Satellites Launched
By Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 | Ariane 5 | Ariane 5 ECA | Delta 2 | Dnepr | Electron | Falcon Heavy | Long March 2C | Long March 2D | Long March 3B | Pegasus | Proton | Proton M | PSLV | Rokot | Soyuz | Soyuz-2.1b | Vega
By Launch Vehicle: Cape Canaveral | Baikonur Cosmodrome | Guiana Space Center | International Space Station | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | Plesetsk Cosmodrome | Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 | Satish Dhawan Space Centre | Taiyuan Launch Center | Vandenberg AFB | Xichang Satellite Launch Center | Boeing Satellite Systems | Airbus Defense and Space | EADS Astrium | Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems | Space Systems/Loral | Surrey Satellite Technology | Technical University Berlin | Thales Alenia Space
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