Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6

Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6

Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6, nicknamed "Slick Six") at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is a launch pad and support area. It was originally designed for the launching of the Titan III in support of the cancelled Manned Orbiting Laboratory, and was later rebuilt for the Space Shuttle, which also never used it due to budget, safety and political considerations. It was subsequently used briefly by Athena rockets, before being remodified to support the Delta IV family of unmanned launchers, which have used the pad since 2006. Launches from SLC-6 fly southward into a polar orbit, not eastward as is typical of launches from Florida.

Since polar orbits can allow full global coverage on a regular basis, they are often used for earth-mapping, earth observation and reconnaissance satellites, as well as some weather satellites. However, polar orbits require more energy than a typical eastward launch, as they do not benefit from the earth's rotational speed of over 850 miles per hour (1,370 km/h) at this latitude. Achieving a polar orbit from a Florida launch site is possible, but because Kennedy Space Center has major population centers to both the North and South, polar orbit flights would require hugely inefficient maneuvers to avoid them, reducing payload capacity by 30% due to the extra fuel required to reach orbit.