Launch Complex A or LC-A at the Point Arguello

Point Arguello

Point Arguello is a headland used as a launch site by the United States Navy. Point Arguello was first used in 1959 for the launch of military and sounding rockets. It was transferred to the United States Air Force in 1964, at which time it became part of Vandenberg Air Force Base.There were 6...

 Naval Air Station in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, subsequently Point Arguello Launch Complex A or PALC-A at the Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base

Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, is a launch complex which was used for a number of sounding rocket

Sounding rocket

A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...

 launches between 1959 and 1966. It was originally built as Launch Complex A or LC-A at the Point Arguello Naval Air Station, and was subsequently transferred to Vandenberg AFB as PALC-A following the merger of Point Arguello into Vandenberg AFB in 1964.

Blue Scout Junior

Scout (rocket)

The Scout family of rockets were launch vehicles designed to place small satellites into orbit around the Earth. The Scout multistage rocket was the first orbital launch vehicle to be entirely composed of solid fuel stages....

, Astrobee

Astrobee

Astrobee is the designation of series of American sounding rockets with 1 - 3 stages. Several versions were realized.The three-stage Astrobee 500 has a ceiling of 1000 km, a takeoff thrust of 161 kN, a takeoff weight of 900 kg, a diameter of 0.38 m and a length of 7.80 m.The three-stage Astrobee...

, Black Brant

Black Brant (rocket)

The Black Brant is a Canadian-designed sounding rocket built by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over 800 Black Brants of various versions have been launched since they were first produced in 1961, and the type remains one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built...

, DAC Roc, Honest John-Nike-Nike, Javelin

Javelin (rocket)

Javelin was the designation of an American sounding rocket. The four stage Javelin rocket had a payload of around 125 pounds , an apogee of 1100 kilometers, a liftoff thrust of 365 kilonewtons , a total mass of 3,385 kilograms , and a core diameter of 580 centimeters...

, Journeyman, Nike-Asp

Nike-Asp

Nike Asp is the designation of an American sounding rocket. The Nike Asp has a ceiling of 220 km, a takeoff thrust of 217 kN, a takeoff weight of 700 kg, a diameter of 0.42 m and a length of 7.90 m....

 and Seagull rockets were launched from the complex whilst it was active.

Launch history

Date/Time (GMT)	Rocket	Mission	Remarks
14 July 1959, 17:45	Nike-Asp
17 July 1959, 17:40	Nike-Asp		Failed
24 July 1959, 16:34	Nike-Asp
7 August 1959, 17:05	Nike-Asp
14 August 1959, 16:00	Nike-Asp
22 August 1959, 02:30	Nike-Asp
24 August 1959, 22:47	Nike-Asp
28 August 1959, 16:10	Nike-Asp
31 August 1959, 22:53	Nike-Asp
1 September 1959, 01:01	Nike-Asp
1 September 1959, 19:00	Nike-Asp
2 September 1959, 00:03	Nike-Asp
19 September 1960, 16:35	Journeyman
1 August 1961, 20:18	Astrobee-1500
15 November 1961, 13:42	Journeyman
18 November 1961, 13:42	Journeyman
4 December 1961, 04:00	Blue Scout Junior	O-2
8 December 1961	Astrobee-1500
31 May 1962, 17:08	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-1
9 July 1962	Journeyman
24 July 1962, 17:29	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-2
21 November 1962, 18:20	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-3
19 December 1962	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1B
2 February 1963, 06:56	Blue Scout Jr SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-4
12 February 1963, 01:47	Journeyman
14 March 1963, 01:01	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-5
17 May 1963, 23:00	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1C	ERCS 279L-6
1 July 1963	Black Brant III
24 October 1963	DAC Roc
7 November 1963	Black Brant III
18 November 1963	Honest John-Nike-Nike	HAD-1
10 December 1963	DAC Roc
20 December 1963	Seagull
6 February 1964	Honest John-Nike-Nike	HAD-2	Failed
14 March 1964	Honest John-Nike-Nike	HAD-3
29 August 1964, 09:36	Blue Scout Junior SLV-1B
22 December 1964, 04:00	Blue Scout Junior		Failed - premature third stage cutoff
19 March 1966, 12:31	Javelin	HITAB-1
25 March 1966, 09:42	Javelin	HITAB-2