4th Space Launch Squadron
The United States Air Force's 4th Space Launch Squadron was a space launch unit located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It was active at Vandenberg from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2003 to 2019. It launched various satellites into orbit from the complex of launch pads at Vandenberg.
Mission
The 4th Space Launch Squadron was the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launch agency for the West Coast. The EELV system is a liquid-fueled first stage Common Booster Core that can be used alone, with strap-on solid fuel rocket boosters, or as a configuration of three CBCs acting as a more powerful booster.History
The squadron was activated at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on 15 April 1994. Until it was inactivated in June 1998, it launched surveillance and meteorological satellites into polar orbit.After reactivation in 2003, the squadron managed operations for EELVs. The EELV program was intended to develop provide alternatives to older and expensive heavy-lift launch vehicles, such as the Titan IV. EELVs include:
Lineage
- Constituted as the 4th Space Launch Squadron on 29 March 1994
Assignments
- 30th Operations Group, 15 April 1994 – 29 June 1998
- 30th Launch Group, 1 Dec 2003 – 20 July 2018
- 30th Operations Group, 20 July 2018 – 31 May 2019
Stations
- Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 15 April 1994 – 29 June 1998
- Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 1 December 2003 – 31 May 2019