List of space forces, units, and formations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of space forces, units, and formations that identifies the current and historical antecedents and insignia for the military space arms of countries fielding a space component, whether an independent space force, multinational commands, joint command, or as a part of another military service.
Independent space forces
| Country | Current | Service Indigenous name |
Former | Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 China |
 |
People's Liberation Army Aerospace Force[1] | 2024 | |
|
People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force Space Systems Department[2] |
 |
2015–2024 | ||
 |
1998–2016 | |||
 United States |
 |
United States Space Force[4] | 2019 | |
 |
1982–2019 | |||
|
1982–1985 | |||
 |
1963–1984[a] | |||
 |
1976–1980[b] | |||
|
Fourteenth Aerospace Force (Aerospace Defense Command)[6] |
 |
1968–1980[c] | ||
 |
1961–1968 | |||
 |
1960–1961 [d] | |||
 |
1955–1964 [e] | |||
|
Space and Missile Systems Center (Air Force Materiel Command)[6] |
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1992–2001[f] | ||
|
Space Systems Division (Air Force Systems Command)[6] |
|
1989–1992 [g] | ||
|
Space Division (Air Force Systems Command)[6] |
|
1979–1989 | ||
|
Space and Missile Systems Organization (Air Force Systems Command)[6] |
|
1967–1979 | ||
 |
1961–1967 | |||
|
Air Force Ballistic Missile Organization (Air Research and Development Command)[6] |
 |
1957–1961 | ||
|
Western Development Division (Air Research and Development Command)[6] |
 |
1954–1957 | ||
|
1950–1954 | |||
 |
1947–1951[h] | |||
 |
1945–1947[i] |
Air and space forces
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Joint and multinational space commands
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Service space units and formations
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See also
Notes
- Established as an Air Force major command in 1946. Gained Defense Meteorological Satellite Program in 1963 and Aerospace Defense Command's space forces in 1980. Transferred space forces to Space Command from 1982 to 1984
- Missile warning and space surveillance activities moved into Strategic Air Command in 1980 [citation needed]
- Fourteenth Aerospace Force inactivated in 1976 and space responsibilities centralized directly under Aerospace Defense Command
- Established as an Air Force major command in 1946. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
- Transferred missile surveillance radars to Air Defense Command in 1964–1966[citation needed]
- Transferred to Air Force Space Command in 2001 [citation needed]
- Launch mission transferred to Air Force Space Command in 1990
- Space and missile program transferred to Air Research and Development Command in 1950
- Space and missile program started in 1945 and space mission claimed in 1946[citation needed]
- Missile interceptors moved into the Aerospace Forces' Air and Missile Defense Forces
- Aerospace Defence Forces merged air defense and the Space Force's missile defense and space assets into one service
- Merged into the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1997
- Rocket and Space Defence Troops moved into the Strategic Rocket Forces, while aviation and air defense forces merged into the Russian Air Force in 1997
- Established as a command in 1958. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
- Specified combatant command from 1975 to 1986
- Established as a combatant command in 1954. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
- the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force also became a space force, decades from its founding in 1946, with the launch of the Malligyong-1
- the Republic of Korea Air Force launches its space ops center from its HQ
- Skynet operations assumed by Airbus Defence and Space
- Subordinated to Army Space and Strategic Defense Command in 1992
- Space and rocket program transferred to NASA becoming the Marshall Space Flight Center
- Ballistic missile program started in 1945
- Defense Satellite Communications System transferred to Army Space Command
- Activated to run the Defense Satellite Communications System
- Communication and weather satellite projects started in 1958
- Subordinated to Fleet Cyber Command/Tenth Fleet
- Subordinated to Naval Space Command in 1983. Renamed the Naval Satellite Operations Center in 1990
- Subordinated to Naval Space Command in 1983. Later transferred to Air Force Space Command's 20th Space Control Squadron in 2004
- Astronautics programs transferred to Naval Electronic Systems Command in 1974
- Astronautics programs transferred to Naval Electronic Systems Command in 1974
- Range operations transferred to Navy Material Command and astronautics programs transferred to Naval Air Systems Command in 1966
- Assumed responsibility for satellite communications in 1961; responsibilities transferred to Naval Air Systems Command in 1964
- Turned over to NASA in 1958 and became the core of Goddard Space Flight Center
- Space science and rocketry program started in 1944