In addition to recounting some of the rich history of Vandenberg Air Force Base, a top commander provided a peek into the future with a firm’s plans to land a rocket near its launch pad and a major change for the key contractor operating the Western Range.
The presentation by Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, was part of the annual joint luncheon of the Santa Maria and Lompoc chambers of commerce with approximately 200 people in attendance Wednesday for the “State of the Vandenberg” address.
Typically the event is held at the Pacific Coast Club at Vandenberg, but rain damage forced organizers to find a new location. The luncheon was held at the Scott Williams Memorial Training Center at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex.
Balts said Vandenberg engineers have been assigned to certify the Space Exploration Technologies vehicles to be eligible for winning contracts to launch military satellites.
SpaceX also is eyeing a former Titan 2 launch site on South Base for having its rockets return to Earth, touching down on land as well as the ocean.
“So some exciting new technology that has never been done before,” Balts said.
The firm founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk — ventures he created include the PayPal electronic payment system and Tesla electric car company — has conducted some test landings on a barge following Florida launches.
Another former Titan facility, SLC-4E at Vandenberg, has already been modified for accommodate SpaceX-built Falcon rockets.
In answering a question from the audience, Balts said SpaceX representatives could better answer how many launches they will conduct. Launch manifests depend upon satellites needing rides to space, with rocket manufacturers bidding for the business.
“I know the launches number will go up for the base because of their contributions. We’re happy to have them,” Balts said, adding competition is healthy and “fun for a space guy like me.”
“It could be significant,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
That’s welcome news since Vandenberg is coming off a slow launch year with just six missions, compared with the annual average of 10 to 12. The base also saw the landing of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. The lower number is due to some technical troubles that delayed Minuteman 3 missile tests, he added.
Vandenberg officials have said 10 missions are planned for 2015, with the first blasting off last month to carry a NASA spacecraft into orbit.
Another big change involves what historically has been the top defense contractor in terms of jobs at Vandenberg.
For the last 11 years, InDyne Inc. held the contract to operate the Western Range, winning the role away from ITT Federal Services Corp., which had handled the job for decades at Vandenberg. The Western Range is a network of sensors and radars to monitor just-launched rockets and missiles to ensure they remain on a proper flight path and don’t veer toward populated areas.
But a push to maximize efficiencies and cut costs will see the Western Range and its East Coast counterpart operated by one firm under one contract for the first time in more than five decades.
“This is a new for us. … It’s a different way of doing business,” Balts said.
In November, the Air Force announced the contract had been awarded to the Range Generation Next team, led by Raytheon and General Dynamics. The award of the $2 billion Launch and Test Range Integrated Service Contract had been delayed several times before it was finally awarded.
The colonel also used the luncheon Wednesday to thank community members across the Central Coast for the various ways they support military personnel stationed at Vandenberg.
“We appreciate the appreciation, I guess is the bottom line,” Balts said.
He noted the many ways airmen help out in the community, including providing concerts for the public, assisting local firefighters and volunteering at the Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down.
“It’s a great relationship we have inside and outside the gate,” he added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.