Vandenberg AFB Operational Suitability Test Facility
| OSTF | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34 ° 48 ′ 13 ″ N , 120 ° 32 ′ 37 ″ W |
| Type | Missile silo |
| operator | United States Air Force |
| Launch pads | 1 |
| Missiles | titanium |
| First start | - |
| Last start | - |
| Total starts | 0 (1) |
| status | inactive |
Vandenberg AFB Launch Complex Operational Suitability Test Facility (OSTF) is a disused starting system on the Vandenberg AFB for the Titan I .
Construction work on this silo began in June 1959. The OSTF was to become the prototype for the later operational missile complexes for the Titan I. It is a silo-lift complex, which means that the rocket is stored vertically and hydraulically driven out of the silo before take-off and launched on the surface. In contrast to the operational launch complexes of Titan I and the complex 395-A , which was under construction from 1959 , the OSTF only had one silo and an above-ground launch control center. The OSTF should essentially qualify the ground equipment and procedures for handling the Titan I on the ground. The system was accepted for testing by the US Air Force in January 1960 and a full-size model of a Titan I was installed for refueling tests. In October 1960 the Titan I with the designation V-2 was mounted in the silo and handling exercises were carried out with the real rocket.
On December 3, 1960, a full launch was carried out until shortly before the rocket ignited. The test only worked on the ninth attempt, the rocket was refueled with oxygen ( kerosene was already on board) and raised to the surface using the lift system. After a successful test, the rocket should be lowered back into the silo, but the lift failed and hit the bottom of the silo together with the fully fueled rocket. In the resulting explosion, the launch complex was largely destroyed. There were no victims to complain about. The US Air Force rejected a repair.
Web links
- Location map of the facility
- Vandenberg OSTF in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
literature
- David Stumpf Titan II - A History of a Cold War Missile Program . University of Arkansas Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55728-601-9 .