Fact Sheet 92-10
Air Force Space Command

Air Force Space Command, with headquarters at Peterson Air Force 
Base, Colo., is an Air Force major command and the Air Force 
component of U.S. Space Command.  It was established Sept. 1, 1982.

Mission 

     The command's mission is to operate forces to provide:
     -Strategic and tactical ballistic missile warning.
     -Space control - protection of U.S. and allied space systems and 
termination of enemy space systems.
     -Satellite operations - ground control support for Department of Defense 
satellites.
     -Spacelift - launch of DOD satellites.
     -Assistance in the integration of space capabilities into Air Force 
operations.

     As a component of U.S. Space Command, Air Force Space Command 
provides resources to accomplish the U.S. Space Command's assigned 
war-fighting missions.  As an Air Force major command, Air Force Space 
Command organizes, trains, equips, sustains and operates assigned Air 
Force resources that include personnel, missile warning radar and infrared 
systems, space surveillance radar and optical systems, satellite command 
and control systems, and space-launch resources.

Organization 

     Air Force Space Command operates eight bases and seven stations in 
the United States and overseas.  The command is organized into four 
wings and more than 100 worldwide units.  It provides communications, 
computer and base support to the North American Aerospace Defense 
Command at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, near Colorado Springs, 
Colo.  The command has approximately 16,000 assigned Air Force 
military and civilian personnel, and 14,500 civilian contractors. 

21st Space Wing 

     With headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, 21st Space Wing 
operates Air Force Space Command's worldwide network of missile 
warning sensors. The wing provides tactical warning and supports attack 
assessment of sea-launched and intercontinental ballistic missile attacks 
against the continental United States and Canada.  The wing's resources 
include the space-based early warning system, phased-array radars and 
some mechanical radars.
     The wing also hosts Peterson and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force bases.  
It provides support services for the two bases and is responsible for such 
functions as personnel, finance, supply and transportation for the 50th 
Space Wing at Falcon Air Force Base, Colo.

30th Space Wing 

     30th Space Wing located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., 
manages testing of space and missile systems for DOD and is responsible 
for launching expendable boosters for placing satellites into near-polar 
orbit from the West Coast of the United States.  The wing launches Delta 
II's, Atlas E's, Titan II's and IV's, and a variety of other expendable 
boosters.  It also operates the Western Range.

45th Space Wing 

     Located at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., 45th Space Wing provides 
space launch and tracking facilities, safety procedures and test data to a 
wide variety of users. It also conducts launch operations and management 
of DOD's space programs, as well as launch and tracking facilities for 
NASA, foreign governments, the European Space Agency, and various 
private industry contractors. The wing launches a variety of expendable 
vehicles, including Delta II's, Atlas II's and Titan IV's, and  supports the 
space shuttle program. In addition, it operates Cape Canaveral Air Force 
Station, Fla., and the Eastern Range.

50th Space Wing 

     50th Space Wing with headquarters at Falcon Air Force Base, 
commands and controls operational DOD satellites, and manages the 
worldwide Air Force satellite control network.  The wing's 750th Space 
Group, at Onizuka Air Force Base, Calif., is responsible for the daily 
operation of the majority of the satellite control network.
     The wing controls the Defense Meteorological Satellite, Defense 
Support program satellites, and  Navstar Global Positioning System 
satellites. It also controls communication satellites including the Defense 
Satellite Communications System, NATO III and Fleet Satellite 
Communications. Future com-munication satellites, such as Milstar, will 
be controlled by 50th Space Wing operators when the systems become 
operational.

73rd Space Group 

     With headquarters at Falcon Air Force Base, 73rd Space Wing 
operates space surveillance sites that detect, track and report on man-
made objects in space. The sites instantly transfer surveillance data to the 
group's 1st Command and Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain Air 
Force Base. Members of the squadron use the data to maintain a catalog 
that lists all man-made objects in orbit. The North American Aerospace 
Defense Command and the U.S. Space Command centers at Cheyenne 
Mountain Air Force Base also receive tracking data from the the unit's 
sites.
     Members of the 73rd Space Group operate sensors that include electro-
optical surveillance systems, mechanical and phased array radars, and 
passive radio frequency surveillance systems.

(Current as of September 1992)