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VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – Guardians and civilians from the 18th Space Defense Squadron and Space Domain Awareness Partnership and Coalition Engagement office, units of Space Delta 2 – Space Battle Management and Space Domain Awareness, were recognized for their outstanding commitment to securing U.S. interests in, from and to space during a recent visit from former U.S. Space Operations Command leadership here Jan. 4, 2024.
Ahead of the recognition ceremony, members from 18 SDS and the SPACE office briefed U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command and former commander of SpOC, on DEL 2’s combat operations status, detailing the squadron’s use of its mission systems, the Space Defense Operations Center system; Astrodynamics Support Workstation software; and the Command, Analysis, and Verification of Ephemerides Network for battle space awareness and characterization within and below geosynchronous orbit.
“DEL 2 mission systems, such as SPADOC and CAVEnet, have demonstrated remarkable reliability and effectiveness,” said Lt. Col. Jordan Mugg, commander of 18 SDS. “The team has found innovative ways to leverage systems’ strengths, allowing them to perform above expectations. These efforts, along with the planned upgrade to the Space Surveillance Network’s complete Alpha 5/9-digit expected by the end of CY24, showcases their resilience and enduring value to all U.S. and allied space operations.”
From there, Robert Pascal, 18 SDS technical director, provided updates on efforts to modernize SDA support to combat operations through the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System SDA Capability Integrated Test. In his update, Pascal detailed how the successful SCIT demonstrated ATLAS’ end-to-end capability delivery for SDA, improving mission systems software, stating that “every improved sensor, every streamlined process, gives [DEL 2] a critical advantage in space operations, and subsequently, joint and combined operations.”
Lastly, Diana McKissock, SPACE office lead, provided SpOC leadership an update on DEL 2’s support to the Department of Commerce’s standup of Space Traffic Coordination. McKissock outlined the upcoming transition of high-accuracy satellite data from the DoD to the DoC in late 2024. This aligns with the 2018 Space Policy Directive-3, aiming to move commercial space monitoring from military to civil control.
"Transferring vital space data to Commerce is a giant leap towards shared responsibility in the increasingly congested space environment," shared McKissock. "This will allow the DoD to focus on its military missions while continuing to ensure the integrity of international norms and security cooperation in space."
Throughout the visit and tour of the 18 SDS’s SDA operations floor, Whiting presented his commander’s coin to Guardians and civilians for their hard work and dedication to service.
On Jan. 9, Whiting relinquished command of SpOC to Lt. Gen. David Miller and assumed command of U.S. Space Command the following day.
DEL 2 tracks over 44,900 objects in Earth's orbit, including 9,300 active spacecraft, and maintains the most comprehensive satellite catalog at Space-Track.org, serving over 173,000 accounts from 205 countries. USSPACECOM currently holds Space Situational Awareness Sharing Agreements with over 142 commercial companies, 34 countries, and 7 universities.
| Date Taken: | 01.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2024 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 461972 |
| Location: | LOMPOC, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 473 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Space Delta 2 Guardians and civilians recognized for out-of-this-world service, by Emily Peacock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
