Air Force announces environmental assessment of current and upcoming launches from Vandenberg

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – On Friday, the Department of the Air Force announced it is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for current Falcon 9 and future Falcon Heavy launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The announcement was issued in both English and Spanish.

Specifically, the environmental assessment will evaluate the impact of

• Department of the Air Force authorization of the redevelopment of Space Launch Complex Six to support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy operations including launches and landings
• Department of the Air Force authorization of an increasing Falcon 9 launches and landings at Vandenberg Space Force and downrange landings in the Pacific Ocean
• Federal Aviation Administration's issuance or modifications of a vehicle operator license to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (also known as SpaceX) for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base and approval of related airspace closures

The completion of the environmental review process does not guarantee that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will issue a vehicle operator license and SpaceX will still need to meet all FAA safety, risk, and indemnification requirements for the appropriate license cautioned Vandenberg Space Force base in a press release Friday.

The Department of the Air Force will host three in-person meetings and one virtual meeting for the public to comment on the environmental analysis and receive information about the evaluation process.

In-person meeting will be held on the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1679, 3801 Market Street in Ventura
• Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 at the Westside Neighborhood Center, 423 West Victoria Street in Santa Barbara
• Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 at the Dick DeWees Community Center, 1120 West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc

The virtual public meeting will be held on Jan. 23, 2025, at www.VSFBFalconLaunchEIS.com.

According to Vandenberg Space Force Base, the public is encouraged to submit public comments from Dec. 13 through Jan. 27 of next year in any of the ways listed below:

• In-person at one of the in-person meetings listed above
• Via the comment form at the virtual meeting link above
• Email them to info@VSFBFalcoLaunchEIS.com with the subject line "Falcon EIS"
• Mail to ATTN: VSFB Falcon Launch EIS c/o ManTech International Corporation, 420 Stevens Avenue, Suite 100, Solana Beach, CA 92075

The announcement comes one day after the inclusion of language about noise reduction in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that now awaits a Presidential signature to become law.

In November, the California Coastal Commission exercised its jurisdiction over the coastal zone to reject plans to increase launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base by SpaceX due to the latter's status as a private company contracted by the Department of Defense.

Federal agencies can bypass state-based permitting requirements in the coastal zone by agreeing to a negotiated mitigation agreement, but the increase in launches announced by the private company contracted by the Department of Defense has become a point of contention as the owner of the company, Elon Musk, joined then-Presidential candidate and now President-elect Donald Trump on the campaign trail and has been tapped for a prominent role in the new administration.