{{Short description|American launch vehicle range}} {{generalize|date=July 2013}} {{United States space program sidebar}} {{Use American English|date=November 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Western Test Range emblem.png|150px|thumb|Emblem of the Western Test Range]]
The '''Western Range''' ('''WR'''){{sfn|Federation of American Scientists}} is the [[space launch range]] that supports the [[rocket launch site|major launch head]] at [[Vandenberg Space Force Base]].<ref name="127-1 ch1">{{cite web|url=http://snebulos.mit.edu/projects/reference/NASA-Generic/EWR/99ewr-c1.pdf |title=Chapter 1: Eastern and Western Range Safety Policies and Processes 31 December 1999 Change to 1997 EWR |access-date=2008-08-31}}</ref>{{rp|pg 15}} Managed by the [[Space Launch Delta 30]],<ref name="2000assess">{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/spp/military/facility/00feb_vafb_1.pdf|title=30th SPACE WING / VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE LAUNCH SITE SAFETY ASSESSMENT|access-date=2008-08-31|author=Center for Aerospace Technology (CAST)|date=February 2000|work=Research Triangle Institute Center for Aerospace Technology (CAST)|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation}}</ref>{{rp|pg 25}} the WR extends from the West Coast of the United States to 90° east longitude in the [[Indian Ocean]]<ref name="2000assess"/>{{rp|pg 27}} where it meets the [[Eastern Range]]<ref name="89asses">{{cite web|author=Loyd C. Parker|author2=Jerry D. Watson|author3=James F. Stephenson|url=http://fas.org/spp/military/facility/western.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809030717/http://fas.org/spp/military/facility/western.pdf|title=BASELINE ASSESSMENT WESTERN SPACE AND MISSILE CENTER|archive-date=2016-08-09|url-status=dead|date=July 1989 |publisher=RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE CENTER FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING FLORIDA OFFICE for U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION}}</ref>{{rp|pg 10}} Operations involve military, government, and commercial interests. The WR has been operated by civilian contractors since its establishment, following the precedent of the Eastern Range. On 1 October 2003, InDyne Inc. took over the range contract from [[ITT Industries]] which had operated the range for the previous 44 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=New leader of Western Range signed at VAFB|author=Janene Scully|date=2003-07-14|newspaper=Santa Maria Times |publisher=Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers|access-date=2008-06-02 |url=http://www.indyneinc.com/homepage/Portals/0/news_articles/SantaMariaTimes2.pdf}}</ref>
== History == === Navy's Pacific Missile Range (PMR) === The Navy established the Naval Missile Facility at Point Arguello (NMFPA) after the transfer from the Army of 19,800 acres from the southern portion of Camp Cooke in May 1958. Camp Cooke was a World War II training and POW facility and a maximum security Disciplinary Barracks site.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} Cooke Air Force Base, later [[Vandenberg Space Force Base]], was established on 64,000 acres of the northern portion.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} The Secretary of Defense directed the Navy to establish the Pacific Missile Range (PMR) with headquarters at [[Point Mugu]] and instrumentation sites along the California coast and downrange in the Pacific Ocean.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} Agreements between the Navy and the Air Force specified that nearly all launches from [[Vandenberg Space Force Base]] were under the command and control of Navy and the PMR.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}}
A Pacific [[Missile Impact Location System]] (MILS) was installed to support both [[Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile]] (IRBM) and [[Intercontinental Ballistic Missile]] (ICBM) tests. IRBM impacts were northeast of Hawaii and covered by a system terminating at the [[Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay]] operational November 1958. The ICBM impacts required MILS monitoring between [[Midway Island]] and [[Wake Island]] and between Wake Island and [[Eniwetok]]. Two target arrays and a Broad Ocean Area (BOA) array system were installed. The ICBM range was operational in May 1959 with two target arrays. MILS shore facilities were at Kaneohe and each of the islands.<ref>{{cite book|last=Subcommittee on Military Construction (March-April)|date=April 29, 1959|title=Military Construction Appropriations for 1960: Hearings|pages=169–170|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e-JLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA169 |access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Subcommittee on Military Construction (May)|date=May 20, 1959|title=Military Construction Appropriations for 1960: Hearings|pages=818, 824 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBVEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA818|access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>
=== Air Force — Western Test Range === Secretary of Defense [[Robert S. McNamara]] directed a restructure of the missile ranges on 16 November 1963 with an effective date of 1 July 1964. This restructure shifted responsibility of major sections of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range to the United States Air Force.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} In a final transfer, on 1 February 1965, the Air Force, with headquarters at Vandenberg Air Force Base, took control of [[Pillar Point Air Force Station|Pillar Point]], [[California]], two sites in [[Hawaii]], [[Canton Island]], [[Midway Island]], and [[Wake Island]] in the mid-Pacific as well as [[Eniwetok]] and [[Bikini Atoll]] in the [[Marshall Islands]].{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} The Air Force also took control of the six range instrumented ships ''Huntsville'', ''Longview'', ''Range Tracker'', ''Richfield'', ''Sunnyvale'', and ''Watertown''.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} The Navy retained a missile test facility at [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu|Point Mugu]].{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}} In 1979, the name was shortened to simply the Western Test Range.{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}}
== Notable launches == * 28 February 1959 - [[Discoverer 1]] - first spacecraft placed in a [[polar orbit]].{{sfn|30th Space Wing History Office}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1959-002A|title=NASA - NSSDC - Spacecraft - Details NSSDC ID: 1959-002A|access-date=2008-08-31}}</ref>
* 29 September 2013 – [[Falcon 9 Flight 6]], the first launch of the [[Falcon 9]] v1.1 launch vehicle from a [[Private spaceflight|privately developed]] leased launchpad at [[Vandenberg Space Force Base |Vandenberg Air Force Base]] was used in an unusual post-mission launch vehicle test.<ref name=nsj20130327>{{cite news|last=Foust|first=Jeff|title=After Dragon, SpaceX's focus returns to Falcon |url=http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/03/27/after-dragon-spacexs-focus-returns-to-falcon/|access-date=2013-04-05|newspaper=NewSpace Journal|date=2013-03-27}}</ref> The [[first stage (rocketry)|first-stage booster]] of the [[SpaceX]] [[Falcon 9]] launch vehicle will conduct a [[Flight test|propulsive-return over-water test]]. After the second stage with the [[CASSIOPE]] payload [[separation event|separates]] from the booster, the booster will do a retro burn to reduce velocity from approximately {{cvt|10|Mach}} to a [[Spacecraft attitude control|controllable]] descent velocity, and then a second burn just before it reaches the water to simulate a [[VTVL|vertical landing]] of the first stage.<ref name=nsw20130328>{{cite news|last=Lindsey|first=Clark|title=SpaceX moving quickly towards fly-back first stage|url=http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/spacex-moving-quickly-towards-fly-back-first-stage.html|access-date=2013-03-29|newspaper=NewSpace Watch|date=2013-03-28|url-access=subscription|archive-date=16 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416030256/http://www.newspacewatch.com/articles/spacex-moving-quickly-towards-fly-back-first-stage.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This will be the first high-altitude, high-velocity test of the [[SpaceX reusable launch system development program]].
== See also == * [[Eastern Range]] * [[Missile Range Instrumentation Ship]]
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== Bibliography == {{refbegin}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/nssrm/initiatives/westrang.htm|title=Western Range (U)|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=16 June 2015|ref={{sfnref|Federation of American Scientists}}}}
* {{cite news|last1=Gruss|first1=Mike|title=Raytheon Team Wins US$2 Billion Air Force Range Support Contract|url=http://spacenews.com/42473raytheon-team-wins-2-billion-air-force-range-support-contract/ |publisher=SpaceNews|access-date=8 April 2015|date=6 April 2015}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/?fsID=4606|title=U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet|last=30th Space Wing History Office|publisher=30th Space Wing Public Affairs |access-date=16 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110132051/https://www.vandenberg.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4606|archive-date=10 January 2015}}
* [http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a205116.pdf Western Test Range Handbook], Defense Technical Information Center, July 1981 {{refend}}
{{US Proving Grounds}}
[[Category:Vandenberg Space Force Base]]