Probe Launch Complex C or PLC-C 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 ....

 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...

, is a launch complex which was used for six 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 1971 and 1975. It was originally built as Launch Complex C or LC-C 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, however no launches were made from the site whilst it was part of Point Arguello. Following the merger of Point Arguello into Vandenberg AFB in 1964, it was briefly designated PALC-C, and subsequently Probe Launch Complex C.

Launch history

Six launches occurred from Probe Launch Complex C. The first four launches used Aerobee-170 rockets, whilst the last two used Tomahawks. Five of the launches reached space

Outer space

Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....

, with the exception of the third Aerobee, which failed early in its flight. The Aerobee launches conducted tests of infrared

Infrared

Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...

 sensors for anti-ballistic missile

Anti-ballistic missile

An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...

 systems, whilst the Tomahawks were used for aeronomy

Aeronomy

Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...

research.

Date/Time (GMT)	Rocket	Mission	Outcome	Apogee	Remarks
29 June 1971, 13:10	Aerobee-170	Chaser-1	Successful	161 kilometres (100 mi)
24 November 1971, 06:15	Aerobee-170	Chaser-2	Successful	145 kilometres (90.1 mi)
20 June 1972, 16:45	Aerobee-170	Chaser-3	Failure	8 kilometres (5 mi)
11 October 1972, 11:31	Aerobee-170	Chaser-4	Successful	151 kilometres (93.8 mi)
15 August 1975, 05:21	Tomahawk	Escape I	Successful	272 kilometres (169 mi)
12 December 1975, 05:09	Tomahawk	Escape II	Successful	164 kilometres (101.9 mi)