The Air Force approved controversial plans to double the number of SpaceX rocket launches from the Central Coast. SpaceX plans to increase the number of rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base from 50 to 100 per year.
To help with the increase, SpaceX plans to build a second launch pad for its rockets at the base.
It would be at a launch site originally built for space shuttle launches. A new hangar and two new landing pads would also be added. Plans call for more rocket booster landings at the base, instead of on barges off the coast.
There would also be launches of what’s known as the Falcon Heavy rocket, which uses three Falcon 9 boosters to lift heavier payloads into space.
The State Coastal Commission wanted more environmental studies on launch impacts. It raised concerns about issues such as increased noise, air pollution, and other environmental impacts, and it urged SpaceX to apply for permits so that these issues could be regulated.
The Commission rejected the proposal to double the number of launches.
But the Air Force concluded the impacts will be minimal. Because the Air Force is a federal agency, the state's ability to regulate the expansion is limited.
