The 53rd Space Operations Squadron (53 SOPS) is a

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

unit. Assigned to the

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado and serves as the U.S. Space Force's service com ...

Space Delta 8 Space Delta 8 (DEL 8) is the United States Space Force unit responsible for satellite communications and position, navigation, and timing. The Delta operates, among other constellations, the Global Positioning System for both military and civil ...

, it is responsible for providing payload and transmission command and control of the

Wideband Global SATCOM The Wideband Global SATCOM system (WGS) is a high capacity United States Space Force satellite communications system planned for use in partnership by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) ...

and

Defense Satellite Communications System The Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) is a United States Space Force satellite constellation that provides the United States with military communications to support globally distributed military users. Beginning in 2007, DSCS is be ...

constellations. It is headquartered 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 Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

History

Schriever SFB welcomes new space squadron, commander (3)

The Squadron's namesake comes from the Army's 53rd Signal Battalion, currently assigned the

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) of the United States Army. The command was established in 1997. The current USASMDC commander is Lieutenant General Daniel L. Karbler ...

's U.S. Army Satellite Operations Brigade. In September 2021, it was announced that the Battalion's operational mission and personnel would be transferred to the

. Activated on 29 June 2022 at a ceremony held at Peterson Space Force Base, the Squadron became the newest unit within the United States Space Force. The unit is distinct in its mission, being the sole armed forces entity to control payload functionality for all U.S. Wideband MILSATCOM.

Emblem symbolism

The 53d Space Operations Squadron's emblem consists of the following elements: * Platinum represents the men and women of

. *

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

and the

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...

symbolize the unwavering strength and support 53d Space Operations Squadron Guardians provide globally to warfighters, interdepartmental, and multinational partners. * The

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

and orbit signify Guardians' mastery of payloads and transmission control through generations of communications platforms. * The constellation

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of ...

pays homage to the organization's past as a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

unit and the seven stars represent previous command structure and operational elements at each Wideband Satellite Operations Center. Ancient stories depict the Pleiades as a group of loved ones who left their way of life to ascend to the heavens, and the 53d Space Operations Squadron embodies these stories in its transfer to the United States Space Force.

Structure

Headquarters,

, Colorado * Detachment A,

Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, i ...

, Maryland * Detachment B,

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...

, Maryland * Detachment C,

Landstuhl Landstuhl () is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of ''Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl'', a kind of "collective municipality." Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate F ...

, Germany - Activated 19 July 2022 * Detachment D,

Wahiawa, Hawaii Wahiawa ( haw, Wahiawā, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is in the Wahiawa District, on the plateau or "central valley" between the two volcanic mountains that comprise the ...

- Changed from Camp Roberts, California to Wahiawa, Hawaii in 2011 * Detachment E,

Fort Buckner Fort Buckner is a United States Army base located immediately south of Camp Foster, near Futenma, on Okinawa, Japan. The 78th Signal Battalion and E Co. of the 53d Signal Battalion (SATCON) are the only units on this small installation. All loca ...

, Japan

List of Commanders

* Lt Col D. Susan Rogers, 29 June 2022https://www.facebook.com/events/614440339702668/

History

Emblem symbolism

Structure

List of Commanders

List of Superintendents

See also

References

External links