10th Space Operations Squadron

10th Space Operations Squadron
Squadron emblem
Active1962–present[1]
Country United States
Branch United States Space Force
RoleSatellite communications
Part ofSpace Delta 8
HeadquartersPoint Mugu, California, U.S.
Commanders
CommanderLt Col Jason Sanders
Insignia
Naval Satellite Operations Center (1990-2022)
Navy Astronautics Group (1962-1990)

The 10th Space Operations Squadron (10 SOPS) is the United States Space Force unit responsible for operating the Mobile User Objective System and Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On satellite constellations, providing global communications to the United States Armed Forces.[1][2]

History

See also: Naval Space Command and United States Tenth Fleet
Navy Working Uniform "Type III" unit shoulder patch featuring the NAG emblem elements: Ursa Major and Polaris as a reference to celestial navigation and a stylized satellite orbiting Earth. Also shown are Laguna Peak and Mugu Rock.

The first military space operations command in history,[3] the Navy Astronautics Group (e or NAG) was established on May 22, 1962 under the command of CDR J.C. Quillen, Jr.[4] Tasked with operating the Navy's satellites, the unit commanded the Navy Navigational Satellite System, also known as Transit, the world's first satellite navigation system.[5] The Navy Astronautics Group was redesignated as the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) in June 1990.

Space Force (2022-present)

Lt Gen Stephen Whiting and VADM Ross Myers at the joint NAVSOC/10 SOPS ceremony on 6 June 2022.

In September 2021, it was announced that NAVSOC would be transferred from the Navy to the newly-independent US Space Force under Space Delta 8.[6][7][8] On 6 June 2022, NAVSOC was formally disestablished and 10 SOPS assumed its mission, personnel, resources, and heritage in total.[9] According to Space Delta 8, the squadron was given its number to honor its heritage under 10th Fleet.[10]

Constellations

The unit has operated various types of military satellites, including:

Constellation Abbreviation First launch Purpose
Transit NAVSAT or NNSS 1959 Navigation
Fleet Satellite Communications System FLTSATCOM or FLTSAT 1978 Communication
Geodetic Satellite[3] GEOSAT 1985 Earth observation
Ultra High Frequency Follow-On UFO 1993 Communication
Geodetic Satellite Follow-On[11] GFO 1998 Earth observation
Mobile User Objective System MUOS 2012 Communication

Command Structure

Former site:

List of commanders

  • Lt Col Jason Sanders, 6 June 2022

References

  1. ^ a b "(U) NAVSOC". www.wslfweb.org.
  2. ^ "50th Space Wing's satellites, ground systems buoy NAVSOC". Schriever Space Force Base.
  3. ^ a b "From the Sea to the Stars A Chronicle of the U.S. Navy's Space and Space-related Activities, 1944-2009". Naval History and Heritage Command. 2010.
  4. ^ "Naval Aviation News" (pdf). February 1963. p. 9. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  5. ^ "U.S. Navy operates on Schriever". Schriever Space Force Base. 13 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Space Force reveals which Army and Navy units are moving to the space branch". SpaceNews. 21 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Army, Navy SATCOM Mission Areas Shifting to U.S. Space Force". United States Space Force.
  8. ^ "Army, Navy satellite operations to consolidate under Space Force". SpaceNews. 23 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Space Delta 8". www.facebook.com.
  10. ^ "Navy Satellite Center Disestablished, Transferred to U.S. Space Force". SeaPower Magazine. 9 June 2022.
  11. ^ "GFO (GEOSAT Follow-On) Satellite". eoPortal Directory. Retrieved 18 February 2022.