The 6th Space Operations Squadron is an

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

satellite

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

squadron located at

Schriever Space Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in ...

, Colorado. The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

is a backup to

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

for

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) monitors meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-terrestrial physics for the United States Department of Defense. The program is managed by the United States Space Force with on-orbit operati ...

operations.

Mission

The 6th Space Operations Squadron provides a backup command and control center for the

(DMSP). DMSP is the longest running production satellite program ever. The DMSP satellite constellation provides strategic and tactical weather prediction to aid military operations planning at sea, on land, and in the air. The satellites can image visible and infrared cloud cover, measure precipitation, surface temperature, and soil moisture. In addition, it collects specialized global meteorological oceanographic and solar-geophysical information in all weather conditions. It also has sensors for space weather data that is used to assist in high-frequency communications, over-the-horizon radar and spacecraft drag and reentry tasks. The information provided by the DMSP satellites is used to compile various worldwide weather products for numerous users, such as the

Air Force Weather Agency The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

and Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center as well as civilian authorities through the Department of Commerce. The 6th is located at

Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in ...

, Colorado.

History

The 4000th Support Group was organized on 1 February 1963 as a component of

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

. It was reassigned to the

1st Strategic Aerospace Division The 1st Strategic Aerospace Division (1st STRAD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. ...

on 1 January 1966. On 1 January 1973, the organization was redesignated 4000th Aerospace Application Group without change in assignment or location. It was redesignated 4000th Satellite Operations Group on 3 April 1981. . On 1 May 1983, the 4000th Satellite Operations Group at

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

was transferred to the newly formed

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

under the

1st Space Wing The 1st Space Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force active from 1983 to 1992 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado as part of Air Force Space Command.2d Space Wing The 2d Space Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force. Constituted on 5 December 1984 and activated on 8 July 1985, it was the host wing at Falcon Air Force Station (later Falcon Air Force Base; now Schriever Air Force Base). It took oper ...

on 1 April 1986. In May 1989, Detachment 1 at

Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned t ...

, Washington, was upgraded to squadron status, becoming the

5th Satellite Control Squadron Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash th ...

. On 30 January 1992, the group was reassigned to the

50th Space Wing The 50th Space Wing was the United States Space Force's space and cyber warfare wing. The 50th Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Schriever Air Force Base. It was activated in 1949 as the 50th Fighter Win ...

. On 31 July 1992, the 1000th Satellite Operations Group re-designated as the 6th Space Operations Squadron and was reassigned to the

50th Operations Group The 50th Operations Group was a subordinate unit of the 50th Space Wing, and assigned to Air Force Space Command from 1991-2019. The group, redesignated as Space Delta 8 on 24 Jul 2020 is stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schr ...

. The unit was still a Regular Air Force unit and was still stationed at Offutt. In 1994,

President Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again f ...

signed a bill that merged federal weather programs. Prior to the merge, federal programs were deemed to be redundant. This merger would save the government money and allow one entity to control national weather products. The merger also moved weather operations to the

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

Suitland Suitland is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prio ...

, Maryland. On 30 September 1998, the 6th Space Operations Squadron was inactivated. It activated in the

Air Force reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

with assignment to the

310th Space Group 31 may refer to: * 31 (number) Years * 31 BC * AD 31 * 1931 CE ('31) * 2031 CE ('31) Music * ''Thirty One'' (Jana Kramer album), 2015 * ''Thirty One'' (Jarryd James album), 2015 * "Thirty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Wild, ...

at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado on 1 October 1998. The squadron's operations have been command and control of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites since 1 February 1963.

Lineage

* Designated as the 4000th Support Group and organized on 1 February 1963 : Redesignated 4000th Aerospace Application Group on 1 January 1973 : Redesignate 4000th Satellite Operations Group on 3 April 1981 : Redesignated 1000th Satellite Operations Group on 1 May 1983 : Redesignated 6th Space Operations Squadron on 31 July 1992 : Inactivated on 30 September 1998 * Activated in the reserve on 1 October 1998

Assignments

* Strategic Air Command, 1 February 1963 * 1st Strategic Aerospace Division, I January 1966 * 1st Space Wing, 1 May 1983 * 2d Space Wing, 1 April 1986 * 50th Space Wing, 30 January 1992 * 50th Operations Group, 31 July 1992 – 30 September 1998 * 310th Space Group, 1 October 1998 *

310th Operations Group The 310th Space Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. The wing is the only space wing in the ...

, 7 March 2008

Stations

* Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1998 * Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, 1 October 1998 – present

Spacecraft controlled

(1963–1998; 1998 – present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{USAF Space Command Military units and formations in Colorado Space Operations 0006