Vandenberg launch schedule: live list, countdown and where to watch

Launch viewing quick facts

Name

Vandenberg Space Force Base (Vandenberg SFB) since May 14, 2021; formerly Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB)

Launch list

Built into the page from Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs), Vandenberg SFB, saved into the page when the site is built and refreshed daily, then reloaded in your browser every 5 minutes while the tab is open (a copy up to 10 minutes old)

When launches go

Last 50 (Mar 20 to Oct 15, 2026): 21 evening (5pm to midnight), 7 overnight, 19 morning, 3 afternoon, Pacific time (Launch Library 2)

Official sources

Vandenberg launch alerts (email or text), Space Launch Delta 30 on Facebook and X, SpaceX launches page

How busy

The Oct 15, 2026 Falcon 9 (USSF-481) was the 70th launch Vandenberg supported in 2026

Closest public spot

Ocean Park, about four miles from the launch site (Explore Lompoc)

Closed for viewing

Top of Harris Grade Road, Hawk's Nest, Marshallia Ranch Road, Highway 246 (Explore Lompoc, checked Oct 17, 2026)

From Solvang

33 min by road to downtown Lompoc; 49 min to Surf Beach; 54 min to Ocean Park

How to plan a launch day in Lompoc, evening or morning

Look at the NET time in the list, then pick a plan. Evenings come first because that's when most recent launches went up (see what time launches happen).

Evening launch

• Dinner first: Old Town Kitchen & Bar, 319 E. Ocean Avenue (5 minutes' walk): Monday to Thursday 11am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday to 9pm, Sunday to 7pm. From Surf Beach it's 17 minutes back by road.
• Drinks and pizza: Hangar 7 Social House, 107 W. Ocean Avenue (8 minutes' walk): wood-fired pizza, charcuterie and area wine, with happy hour. Open Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 4pm to midnight, Sunday 11am to 8pm, Monday and Tuesday 4 to 8pm.
• Taste before dark in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto (see our Wine Ghetto route map for walk-in vs appointment rooms and closing times). On a Friday, Montemar pours noon to 7pm and Camins 2 Dreams 1 to 6pm, both in the Ghetto; nearby on E. Chestnut Avenue, Longoria pours noon to 7pm with a 4 to 7pm happy hour. All three are about 2 minutes by car from City Hall.
• Coming down Highway 101 from the north, or tasting in Los Alamos? Eat there and drive over: see Los Alamos on the way to an evening launch.
• Something sweet: Sweet Baking Co. is open Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 5pm, and posts its daily menu on Instagram.

Morning launch

• Coffee: South Side Coffee Co., 105 S. H Street (8 minutes' walk) opens at 5:30am on weekdays and 6am on weekends, per the Santa Maria Sun; it has no website, so check its Facebook. From Solvang, Zaca Coffee in Buellton opens daily at 6:30am, on the way.
• If it slips to late morning: Mama's Caffe, 112 S. I Street, serves breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm.

If the launch scrubs, La Purísima Mission is 11 minutes away and its historic buildings are open 9am to 4pm, so the day is not lost.

What time of day do Vandenberg launches happen?

Mostly in the evening and at night, with mornings close behind. We sorted Vandenberg's recent launches in Launch Library 2 by Pacific time (Oct 17, 2026):

So over the last 50, 28 launches went between 5pm and 4am; over the last 100, mornings and evenings are nearly even. Afternoons are rare. Fog and low cloud can hide a launch at any hour, so check the weather panel. The next launch with a set time is tagged morning, afternoon, evening or overnight in the countdown at the top, and each dated launch in the list carries the same tag.

Los Alamos on the way to an evening launch

Los Alamos is on CA 135 between Highway 101 and Lompoc, so it's the natural stop if you're driving down from the north or have been tasting there all afternoon. From Solvang it's a detour: Solvang to Los Alamos is 24 minutes and Los Alamos to Lompoc City Hall 37, against 33 minutes straight to Lompoc. Drive times from The Depot, 515 Bell Street:

Harris Grade Road is a drive route here, not a viewing spot: its top is closed for launch viewing (see closed spots). Three stops on Bell Street, with notes from Tony Michael, who founded The Ynez, and hours from each place's own site:

• Charlie's, 185 Bell Street: Tony's pick for a quick bite before the drive. Open since 1978; Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm, Sunday 7am to 7pm, and its site says winter hours vary, so call 805-344-4404.
• Pico at the Los Alamos General Store, 458 Bell Street: if you're burnt out from wine tasting, Tony's tip is the garden, the food and a cocktail. Pico seats you in its 1880 dining room or outside in its edible garden, with a full bar and specialty cocktails; its reservations page lists Tuesday 5pm to 9pm and Wednesday to Sunday 3pm to 9pm.
• The Depot Bar, 515 Bell Street, in an 1882 railroad depot: fun for everyone, in Tony's words. He orders a Dirty Shirley and bar snacks like the jumbo pretzel with cheese; there are video games and TVs showing the games, and the bar lists a jukebox, billiards, food trucks and a bonfire patio. Hours: Monday and Wednesday 3pm to 9pm, Thursday 3pm to midnight (karaoke), Friday and Saturday 1pm to 1am, Sunday 1pm to 9pm, closed Tuesday. It says hours may vary, and it's 21 and over after 9pm.

More in town: Los Alamos restaurants and Los Alamos tasting rooms.

About the live launch list

The launch list is built into this page from Launch Library 2, so it reads without JavaScript, and shows when it was fetched. A daily job refreshes it, and your browser then refreshes it every few minutes from our own cached copy of Launch Library 2, along with the National Weather Service weather panel and the forecast sky cover at each launch time. Each launch with a set time also says whether Surf Beach and Ocean Park are open at the NET, and the next launch lists the Lompoc restaurants open at least an hour after it, from each place's posted hours. Each launch with a card has a Share button. If a source is down, the panel says so and points you to the official pages. If the live refresh fails, the list says so and shows the copy from the last site build or the daily snapshot.

Where is Vandenberg Air Force Base, now Vandenberg Space Force Base?

Same base, new name. Vandenberg Air Force Base was renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base at a ceremony on May 14, 2021, when the 30th Space Wing became Space Launch Delta 30 under the U.S. Space Force. So "Vandenberg AFB" and "Vandenberg SFB" mean the same place, and older maps and launch sites still use the old name.

The FAA describes the base as 99,604 acres of central Santa Barbara County, about halfway between San Diego and San Francisco. Lompoc is the nearest town: Explore Lompoc puts Ocean Park about four miles from the launch site. The base's Visitor Control Center is at 6 California Blvd, just outside the Santa Maria Gate, and it issues passes for people with business on base, not sightseeing. From Solvang, downtown Lompoc is 33 minutes by road.

Can I tour Vandenberg Space Force Base? Is there a visitor center?

Not right now. The base's Visitor Center page says the visitor center "is not open to the general public and does not have information on upcoming launch times," that it does not carry merchandise, and that "base tours are currently not available" (checked Oct 27, 2026). The base's old public tours page no longer exists.

The Visitor Control Center is at 6 California Blvd, right outside the Santa Maria Gate, open Monday to Friday 6am to 6pm and closed on federal holidays. It issues base passes to people with business on base, and every visitor needs a REAL ID or the documents the base lists. A pass for a sightseeing trip is not something it offers.

The closest thing to a visit is the base's Space and Missile Technology Center (SAMTEC) museum at Marshallia Ranch, 1335 Marshallia Ranch Road. Its autumn 2026 hours (Oct 1 to Dec 23) are Thursdays and Fridays 11am to 5pm and the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, or by appointment, which the base recommends and takes through a request form on its SAMTEC page. It lists no availability Nov 8 to 17, Nov 22 to 29 and Dec 23 to Jan 10. The SLC-10 National Historic Landmark is open by appointment and on Mondays 10am to 5pm. That is a museum visit, not a launch-viewing spot: Marshallia Ranch Road is on Explore Lompoc's closed list for watching launches.

Will I hear a sonic boom from a Vandenberg launch?

Sometimes. The boom does not come from the launch itself. It comes from the Falcon 9 first stage falling back faster than the speed of sound on its way to a landing pad at Vandenberg or to a droneship. Vandenberg's own FAQ calls it a "thunder-like noise" and says the Falcon 9 booster makes a three-part boom, because of the booster's grid fins and folded landing legs.

How loud it is depends on distance and weather, per Vandenberg. Within about 1.2 miles (2 km) of the landing site the peak is 6 to 10 pounds per square foot; at about 6.2 miles (10 km) it is 2 to 3; at 15.5 miles (25 km) or more it is a distant, deep rumble or thump. Wind, cloud cover, humidity and temperature layers can make the same landing sound louder or softer from one launch to the next. The base says the pressures in civilian areas are typically well below what damages structures, though windows, doors and walls can rattle.

On night launches the base says: "Nighttime launches are generally avoided unless they are essential for national interests and our acoustic noise models predict that no sonic boom will be heard onshore." Vandenberg says it supported 71 launches in 2025 and expects over 80 in 2026, with more trajectories close to the shoreline, so booms are heard more often than they used to be. For listening from Lompoc, Explore Lompoc calls Santa Lucia Canyon Road at Victory Road one of the best spots (see where to watch).

What is the glowing "jellyfish" in the sky after a launch?

It is rocket exhaust lit by sunlight after the ground has gone dark. Wikipedia's article on the twilight phenomenon explains it: exhaust particles in the rocket's trail condense, freeze and expand in the thin upper air, and sunlight that still reaches that height lights the plume against a dark sky. The effect "typically occurs with launches that take place either 30 to 60 minutes before sunrise or after sunset." Only a small percentage of Vandenberg launches have produced it.

What to expect, from the same article: the plume is usually seen within two to three minutes of liftoff and can last up to half an hour. It needs clear skies and no moonlight, and it can be seen across California and as far away as Arizona, Nevada and Utah. A second stage that fires or vents fuel can make a similar glow over a much wider area. It does not mean something went wrong: the article says no malfunctioning rocket is known to have caused it.

The launch list tags a launch "Twilight" when its NET is 30 to 60 minutes after sunset or before sunrise in Lompoc (sunrise and sunset come from standard solar-position formulas). It is a hint from the timing, not a promise: cloud, the rocket's path and the NET slipping all change what you see.

Where can you watch an SLC-6 launch at Vandenberg?

SLC-6 (Space Launch Complex 6) is the pad SpaceX is set to rebuild for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. The Air Force signed the decision on Oct. 10, 2025, allowing up to 100 Falcon launches a year across SLC-4 and SLC-6 combined, with up to five Falcon Heavy launches a year from SLC-6. Falcon Heavy has never launched from Vandenberg. As of Oct 17, 2026, none of the launches in our list uses SLC-6: SpaceX's Falcon 9 flights go from SLC-4E, and the list shows each launch's pad.

For when SLC-6 launches begin: the intersection of Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc is labeled "Viewing Site for SLC-6" on Google Maps, according to Space Launch Schedule, and the Ventura County Star calls it the officially designated SLC-6 viewing site. Explore Lompoc lists Floradale and Ocean among its West Ocean Avenue viewing points. It's open farmland with roadside pull-offs only: no restrooms, and don't block farm gates. The other spots in where to watch work too, since a rocket is visible from Lompoc once it clears the hills.

Where is the best place to watch a Vandenberg launch?

The public spots on Explore Lompoc's viewing page, with drive times from Lompoc City Hall:

Solvang times start at the Round Tower on Alisal Road. The "In town" and "About 33 min" entries for West Ocean Avenue are City Hall routes, since the viewing points vary.

Which viewing spots are closed?

Explore Lompoc lists these as "closed to the public and not currently available for launch viewing": the top of Harris Grade Road, Hawk's Nest (Camellia Lane and Azalea Lane), Marshallia Ranch Road and Highway 246. Older advice still sends people to Harris Grade Road, so check before you drive. Explore Lompoc also says only military personnel can view launches from inside the base.

How does the Vandenberg launch queue work? NET, windows and scrubs

• NET means "no earlier than." A launch can go at that time or later, never earlier. Our list shows how precise each NET is: an exact minute, an hour, a day with no time, a month, a quarter or only a year. Only launches with a set minute get the countdown.
• Status labels come from Launch Library 2. "Go for Launch" means the T-0 is "confirmed by official or reliable sources." "To Be Confirmed" means the date "is known with some certainty." "To Be Determined" means the date "is a placeholder or rough estimation." "On Hold" means the countdown is paused but the launch "can still happen within the launch window."
• The window is the span in which a launch can happen. Some launches have an instant window (one exact time); others have a range, which we show next to the NET as the window, in Pacific time.
• A scrub calls off that day's attempt, for weather, a technical problem or the range. The launch then moves to a new NET, sometimes the next day. That's why we never copy times into the page text.
• Far-off launches sit at placeholder dates, often the end of a month or quarter, until a real date is set. Treat them as "later this year," not a plan.

Is there a Vandenberg launch today or tonight?

The live list above answers this when it loads: if the next launch with a set time is today, the countdown shows it. Then confirm with the official Vandenberg alert or SpaceX's launches page, since times change at short notice. If the list didn't load, use those sources directly.

Where is the official Vandenberg launch schedule?

• Vandenberg launch alerts. The base says subscribers "will receive timely notifications for all confirmed launches." Sign up.
• Space Launch Delta 30, the unit that runs the range, on Facebook and X.
• The launch provider. For SpaceX missions, SpaceX's launches page.

Third-party trackers such as spacelaunchschedule.com rank first for "vandenberg launch schedule," and Launch Library 2, which powers our list, is a community database. Both are unofficial.

Good to know

Are most Vandenberg launches in the evening? Recently, yes. Of the last 50 launches (Mar 20 to Oct 15, 2026), 21 went up between 5pm and midnight Pacific and 7 overnight, against 19 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, per Launch Library 2. Over the last 100, mornings and evenings are close to even.

Where can I eat in Los Alamos before an evening launch? Charlie's on Bell Street for a quick bite, Pico at the Los Alamos General Store for its garden and cocktails, or The Depot Bar for bar snacks and games. Los Alamos is about 37 minutes from Lompoc City Hall by road.

Where do you watch an SLC-6 launch? Floradale Avenue at West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc is labeled the viewing site for SLC-6. As of Oct 17, 2026 no upcoming launch in Launch Library 2 uses SLC-6; SpaceX flies Falcon 9 from SLC-4E.

Where can I get coffee before a morning launch in Lompoc? South Side Coffee Co. on S. H Street opens at 5:30am on weekdays and 6am on weekends, per the Santa Maria Sun. From Solvang, Zaca Coffee in Buellton opens at 6:30am daily.

Don’t miss

• Top of Harris Grade Road is closed for launch viewing, per Explore Lompoc. (2026-10) source

You might also like

• La Purísima Mission · about 11 min drive (5.5 mi). Fill a slipped launch window. Tip: Guided tours Wed–Sun at 1pm. Official site · source
• Jalama Beach · about 42 min drive (19.3 mi). Camp on the coast. Tip: Day use $10 per vehicle, 6am to sunset. Official site · source
• Sanford Winery · about 22 min drive (9.6 mi). Tasting between Lompoc and Buellton. Tip: Open daily 10am–4pm. Official site · source

Drive times are without traffic.

Nearby: eat, taste, stay

• Lompoc hotels: A space-age inn where launches can be seen from the property
• Solvang hotels: Stay inland, drive out for the launch
• Solvang restaurants: Dinner before or after
• La Purísima Mission: The most restored California mission · About 11 min from Lompoc City Hall
• Lompoc restaurants: Breakfast from 5:30am, sushi, Filipino, Thai
• Lompoc Wine Ghetto route map: Fridays pour until 7pm: tasting before an evening launch
• Jalama Beach: Camping on the coast, 42 min from Lompoc
• Sta. Rita Hills wineries: Cold-climate Pinot, 1971 vines · Tasting between Lompoc and Buellton
• Lompoc: Where the Wine Ghetto lives
• Things to do in Solvang: An 1804 mission, ostriches, a waterfall · 33 min away

Quick answers

When is the next Vandenberg launch?

See the list on this page, which shows current NET times from Launch Library 2 with when they were fetched, and confirm with Vandenberg's official launch alerts or SpaceX's launches page.

What does NET mean for a rocket launch?

No earlier than. The launch can happen at that time or later, but not before.

Why are Vandenberg launches delayed?

Launches scrub or slip for weather, technical issues or range availability, and then get a new NET time.

Is Vandenberg Air Force Base now a Space Force base?

Yes. Vandenberg Air Force Base was renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 14, 2021. Vandenberg AFB and Vandenberg SFB are the same base, run by Space Launch Delta 30.

Where is Vandenberg Air Force Base?

On the Santa Barbara County coast next to Lompoc, about halfway between San Diego and San Francisco. It is now called Vandenberg Space Force Base. Downtown Lompoc is 33 minutes by road from Solvang.

Can I tour Vandenberg Space Force Base?

Not right now. The base's Visitor Center page says base tours are currently not available, and that the visitor center is not open to the public and has no launch-time information. The base's SAMTEC museum at Marshallia Ranch takes appointments.

Where can I watch a Vandenberg launch?

From public spots around Lompoc: Surf Beach when open, West Ocean Avenue, Santa Lucia Canyon Road at Victory Road, Ocean Park, Allan Hancock College and Riverbend Park.

Is Harris Grade Road open for launch viewing?

No. Explore Lompoc lists the top of Harris Grade Road as closed to the public for launch viewing, along with Hawk's Nest, Marshallia Ranch Road and Highway 246.

Will I hear a sonic boom from a Vandenberg launch?

Sometimes. The boom comes from the Falcon 9 booster falling back faster than sound, not from liftoff. Vandenberg says it is a three-part, thunder-like noise: loud within about 1.2 miles of the landing site, 2 to 3 pounds per square foot at about 6.2 miles, and a distant rumble at 15.5 miles or more. Wind, cloud and humidity change how loud it is.

What is the glowing jellyfish in the sky after a rocket launch?

Rocket exhaust lit by sunlight after the ground is dark. It typically happens with launches 30 to 60 minutes after sunset or before sunrise, shows up within a few minutes of liftoff, and can last up to half an hour. It does not mean the rocket failed.

Where can I hear the sonic boom?

Explore Lompoc calls Santa Lucia Canyon Road at Victory Road one of the best spots for it.

How far is Vandenberg launch viewing from Solvang?

About 33 minutes by road to downtown Lompoc, 49 minutes to Surf Beach and 54 minutes to Ocean Park.