VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (KEYT) – A Falcon 9 launch of the NROL-105 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for a 35-minute launch window beginning at 8:18 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. A backup launch window has been designated for the following day beginning at 8:04 p.m.

The Space Force has put out an offer for private space firms to operate from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, acting as a force multiplier for its own capabilities.

One of the nation’s behemoth rockets could find a home at Vandenberg Space Force Base as the military asks aerospace companies for their interest in developing a brand-new facility so that the biggest class of rockets can blast off from the West Coast.

As Vandenberg Space Force Base pursues more launch capacity, they have issued a proposal — or, what they call a

A Falcon 9 rocket delivered a collection of payloads including space telescopes, Earth-observers and other craft with a Sunday morning departure from

That’s the question being asked after the U.S. Space Force announced a plan over the holidays to develop a new launch site at the Santa Barbara County base capable of hosting “heavy” and “super-heavy” rockets that will deliver massive payloads into orbit, and beyond.

Fresh off a record-shattering launch cadence in 2025, SpaceX successfully launched its first rideshare mission of 2026 from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central California coast. This rideshare was the first of its kind for SpaceX, and not part of the Transporter or Bandwagon series.

If developed, Space Launch Complex-14 would become the first dedicated super-heavy launch complex on the West Coast.