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:
IRIS.
Operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of USA, IRIS is a government satellite launched for the purpose of space science.
A sun-synchronous LEO satellite, it was launched into space using L1011 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 28 June 2013. IRIS was constructed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) (USA).
Designed with an operational lifetime of 2 years, IRIS has a launch mass of 236 kg and dry mass of 678 kg. It navigates 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 Iridium Communications, Inc. into space at 860 kg
Designed for communications, Iridium Next 167 is a government and commercial satellite operated by Iridium Communications, Inc. (USA).
Constructed by Thales Alenia Space/Orbital ATK (France/Italy/USA), it was launched into space using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 11 January 2019. Iridium Next 167 orbits around the Earth as a polar LEO satellite.
Designated with COSPAR ID 2019-002K and NORAD ID 43931, Iridium Next 167 is designed to operate in space for a lifetime of 15 years. It has a launch mass of 860 kg and dry mass of 678 kg.
Using its self-produced usable power of 50 watts, Iridium Next 167 orbits at an inclination of 87 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 612km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 625km. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 9.30E-04 and it takes 97 minutes to orbit the Earth.
ELFIN-A is a commercial and civil satellite operated by University of California (USA) for the purpose of space science.
Constructed by University of California (USA), it was launched into space on 15 September 2018 using Delta 2 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB. ELFIN-A orbits around the Earth as a polar LEO satellite.
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.
Heaviest satellite launched by Finland into space at 80 kg
ICEYE-X2 is a commercial satellite operated by ICEYE Ltd. (Finland) for the purpose of earth observation (Radar Imaging (SAR)).
Delivered via Falcon 9 (launch vehicle) from Vandenberg AFB, it was launched into space on 3 December 2018 and orbits the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite. ICEYE-X2 was constructed by ICEYE Ltd. (Finland).
ICEYE-X2 has a launch mass of 80 kg and navigates with the COSPAR ID 2018-099AU and NORAD ID 43800.
With an orbital eccentricity of 1.22E-03, 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. It takes 96 minutes to orbit the Earth at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.
Heaviest satellite launched by Canadian Space Agency into space at 1,430 kg
RCM-1 is a government satellite operated by Canadian Space Agency (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 earth science (Laser Imaging), Icesat-2 is a government satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (USA).
Constructed by Northrup Grumman Information Systems (USA), it was launched into space on 15 September 2018 using Delta 2 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB. Icesat-2 orbits around the Earth as a polar LEO satellite.
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.
SMAP.
Designed for earth observation (Earth Science), SMAP is a government satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (USA).
Constructed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA) (USA), it was launched into space using Delta 2 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB on 31 January 2015. SMAP orbits around the Earth as a sun-synchronous LEO satellite.
SMAP is expected to have a operational lifetime of 3 years. It navigates with the COSPAR ID 2015-003A and NORAD ID 40376.
Taking 98 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 660km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 686km. The eccentricity of the orbit is 1.85E-03 and it orbits at an inclination of 98 degrees to the equatorial plane of 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.
Constructed by Canadian Space Agency (Canada), it was launched into space on 29 September 2013 using Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB. Cassiope orbits around the Earth as a elliptical LEO satellite.
Cassiope has a launch mass of 490 kg and is expected to have a operational lifetime of 2 years. It 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.
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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