DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

ION at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA

Operational orbital transfer vehicle by D-Orbit, providing last-mile satellite delivery, orbit-raising, and end-of-life deorbiting services for commercial and government satellite operators

ION by D-Orbit · Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified

Track ION at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA

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D-Orbit has conducted 22+ commercial ION Satellite Carrier missions since September 2020. First ION (SCV Lucas) launched from Guiana Space Center on Arianespace Vega. Subsequent missions launched from Vandenberg SFB SLC-4E and Cape Canaveral CCSFS SLC-40 on SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter missions. Deployed satellites for Planet Labs, Kleos Space, EnduroSat, Elecnor Deimos, USC, SatRevolution. Latest mission Wayfinder (22nd) launched on Transporter-16 from Vandenberg.

Exposure

Customer segment
defense
Scale tier
commercial 10 99

Each exposure value carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Safety record

No incidents on record for ION at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-08-21
Model
ION
Company
D-Orbit
Location
Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA
Operator
D-Orbit
Status
operational
Scale at site
11 to 100 units
Site environment
outdoor
Location precision
city centroid
First seen
2020-09-03
ID
87cf89d1-eb65-4838-84cd-54259acaea38

Timeline

  1. Sep 2020
    First recorded
    ION first documented operating at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA.
  2. Aug 2026
    Current status: operational, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

Operates worldwide

ION is deployed globally rather than at a single verified site, so there is no map pin.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

ION operates in Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA. Explore the full verified map:

Sources (1)

  1. https://dorbit.space/wayfinder-march-2026/
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: defense

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for ION at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA.

Common questions

What is the ION deployment at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA?
ION, built by D-Orbit, is recorded as a deployment at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA on the DEPLOY registry. D-Orbit operates the deployment directly.
Who operates ION at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA?
D-Orbit, the manufacturer of ION, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the ION deployment at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting September 3, 2020 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the ION deployment at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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