NEWSROOM

April 27, 2020

GPS celebrates 25th year of operation

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — The Global Positioning System, better known as GPS, marks its 25th year of operation April 27, 2020.

April 24, 2020

SBIRS GEO-5 Space Vehicle Enters Critical Thermal Vacuum Testing

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — The Space and Missile Systems Center’s next Space Based Infrared System satellite reached a major milestone on its the road to launch when Thermal Vacuum testing began on April 16 at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Sunnyvale, Calif\. SBIRS uses infrared surveillance to provide missile warning for national defense. The system consists of a constellation of satellites in both Geosynchronous Earth Orbit and Highly Elliptical Orbit. The newest SBIRS satellites, GEO-5 and GEO-6, are based upon Lockheed Martin Space’s modernized LM 2100 spacecraft – an update that improves overall system resiliency to provide mission assurance to the warfighter.

April 23, 2020

Space Surveillance Telescope sees 'first light,' through US, Australian partnership

Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. — In partnership with the Australian Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Surveillance Telescope Program recently achieved “first light” on March 5, 2020, reaching a key milestone after it was moved from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, to Harold E. Holt Naval Communications Station in Western Australia.

April 15, 2020

Russia tests direct-ascent anti-satellite missile

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — U.S. Space Command is aware and tracking Russia’s direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test April 15. “Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” said General John W. “Jay” Raymond, USSPACECOM commander and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. “The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies, and U.S. interests from hostile acts in space.” Russia’s missile system is capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and comes on the heels of Russia’s on-orbit testing the U.S. highlighted in February, namely COSMOS 2542 and COSMOS 2543. These satellites, which behaved similar to previous Russian satellites that exhibited characteristics of a space weapon, conducted maneuvers near a U.S. Government satellite that would be interpreted as irresponsible and potentially threatening in any other domain.

April 15, 2020

Undergraduate Space Training evolves to tackle space threats

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — The training of new military space operators is evolving to meet the challenges in the space domain.  A revamped initial skills training course now gives new space warfighters an early advantage in being ready to meet the unique demands of operating satellites and other space systems in a contested, degraded and operationally limited space domain.