APRIL 18, 2022 – On April 17, 2022, the National Reconnaissance Office mission NROL-85, aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 vehicle, successfully launched from Space Launch Complex 4 on Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Every launch on Vandenberg is unique, with multiple factors coming into play, ultimately deciding if the vehicle is a go or no-go. One of the factors that will always present itself is safety, and pad safety specialist Jennifer Tillery knows this all too well.
“45 days out from a launch, we start working with all agencies that are going to be directly involved with the mission,” she said. “This includes who will be inside the mission essential area, or the impact limit line.”
The launch support team, or LST, which is comprised of 20 individuals that are a part of the Safety team, Security Forces, and the Vandenberg Fire Department will gather information on where mission essential individuals will be located, so that in the event of an emergency, the team can account for them.
The operations safety manager also plays a significant role during associated processes such as the static fire, and the creation of a launch support plan that has a timeline of key events that ensures timely evacuations of hazardous areas. Accountability of authorized personnel is completed along with post launch recovery tasks in both nominal and non-nominal launches.
T-minus five hours to launch, Tillery and the launch support team assemble at the fallback area to perform area sweeps.
“We conduct these sweeps to ensure that there are no non-essential personnel in the area,” she said. “The launch support team chief is then managing the tasks from the launch support plan, and they provide status updates to the Operations Safety manager, who is on console, and the Range Safety manager at the Western Range Operations Control Center.”
Post launch, The LST controls the area, while the fire department extinguishes any fires and evaluates for any toxic hazards. Lastly, the team brings site security back up, drops the road blocks, and the support agencies are released.
Safety around the community is also paramount, and in partnership, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department assists by setting up roadblocks in designated areas and evacuating pre-determined locations such as the Jalama Beach and Miguelito Canyon areas in case of an emergency.
“This office has elements of a traditional safety office,” Tillery said. “However, we also have pad safety and engineers doing launch analysis, risk analysis, and flight termination systems.
Their expertise directly assists in operations that are focused in protecting people both on and off base.”
Story by Airman 1st Class Ryan Quijas
Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs