The State Coastal Commission says it can’t support the Air Force and SpaceX's plans to double the number of annual rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base because it lacks the information it needs to consider the proposal properly.
The plan calls for SpaceX to increase from 50 to 95 launches a year from the Central Coast base, launch up to five of its larger SpaceX Falcon Heavy missions, add a second launch pad, and add two new landing pads.
The Air Force asked the Coastal Commission to consider the expansion consistent with Commission policies. However, Commission staff said the Air Force failed to produce the needed data on potential environmental impacts.
When the Commission met in Calabasas on Thursday to consider the consistency determination, no one from the Air Force showed up to speak. SpaceX also was a no-show.
Members of the public, including Jennifer Savage from the Surfrider Foundation, spoke.
"Space Force is planning to move forward with this increase without providing the biological monitoring, sonic boom modeling, or mitigation tracking needed to assess impacts," said Savage.
The Coastal Commission rejected the consistency determination, saying it couldn’t make a favorable finding without the environmental studies. In 2024, the Commission conditionally concurred with an increase in the number of launches from six to 36 a year.
Commission staff said the understanding was that the Air Force would conduct a number of environmental studies to help assess impacts. In the past, the Air Force said it was doing research, and SpaceX was taking some environmental mitigation measures.
One of the concerns expressed was about the potential impacts on beaches. Some Central Coast beaches are closed as a precaution during launches. People testifying before the Commission say the stepped-up schedule would mean a launch every three days, which could have a major impact on the beaches.
But, short of a court challenge, the Commission’s ability to regulate the base is limited, so the Air Force and SpaceX may proceed with their plans.
