21st Space Operations Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 21st Space Operations Squadron (21 SOPS) is a satellite control unit of the 50th Network Operations Group
of the United States Air Force
located at Onizuka Air Force Station
, California
. It is in the process of shutting down Onizuka and moving to Vandenberg AFB.
common user resources; monitors, maintains and updates the status of AFSCN resources; and provides status, configurations and readiness of controlled resources to multiple users and command centers.
.
21st SOPS provides access to the worldwide AFSCN and specialized support to the international space community by providing network communications. The unit is also responsible for maintaining Onizuka AFS' two 60 feet (18.3 m) satellite communication antennas and one 33 feet (10.1 m) Data Link Terminal.
Its sister unit, 22nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, schedules tracking station usage for satellite operators at Schriever AFB and other locations, which ensures users can communicate (through the tracking stations) with the satellites for which they are responsible. A standby system at Onizuka AFS mirrors the scheduling area at 22nd SOPS, providing back up for this important mission.
21st SOPS provides resources to operate and maintain the Onizuka AFS facility and to provide limited administrative and support services to base units and agencies, including security, civil engineering and safety. A small Services contingent is also maintained, including the Space Place snack bar, fitness facility, Moffett Field golf course, and support of in-home family child care.
The 21st SOPS commander is designated the installation commander for Onizuka AFS.
spy-satellite program. Recently declassified, this program convinced the Air Force that a dedicated unit was needed to provide satellite-tracking support for the military. In April 1959, the 6594th Test Wing was activated with its temporary headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. In 1960, land was purchased in Sunnyvale to form the Air Force Satellite Test Center. Construction on the "Blue Cube" was completed in 1968, and on Jan. 1, 1971, the Sunnyvale facilities became Sunnyvale Air Force Station. The installation was renamed to Onizuka Air Force Station on July 24, 1986, in honor of Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka
, who lost his life in the Challenger
Space Shuttle explosion.
21st SOPS rose out of this rich history. It was activated on Oct. 1, 1991, and within one year, 21st SOPS absorbed the roles of the 2nd Satellite Tracking Group Operations Division and the 1999th Communications Squadron Operations Division. After the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure
Committee directed realignment of Onizuka AFS, 21st SOPS absorbed the roles of the 750th Space Group
and all subordinate units and the 5th Space Operations Squadron
.
50th Network Operations Group
The 50th Network Operations Group is a unit of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. 50th NOG is the single focal point for operating and maintaining the $8.2 billion Air Force Satellite Control Network and all 50 SW communications and computer systems...
of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
located at Onizuka Air Force Station
Onizuka Air Force Station
Onizuka Air Force Station was a United States Air Force installation in Santa Clara County, California, just outside the city limits of Sunnyvale, at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and State Route 237...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is in the process of shutting down Onizuka and moving to Vandenberg AFB.
Mission
The mission of the 21st Space Operations Squadron is to plan and conduct specialized communications for a wide spectrum of DoD, allied, civil and commercial space systems. The squadron is rich in tradition. Every space shuttle mission in history has been supported from Onizuka AFS. It schedules, allocates and configures Air Force Satellite Control NetworkAir Force Satellite Control Network
The Air Force Satellite Control Network provides support for the operation, control, and maintenance of a variety of United States Department of Defense and some non-DoD satellites. This involves continual execution of the tasks involved in Tracking, Telemetry, and Command...
common user resources; monitors, maintains and updates the status of AFSCN resources; and provides status, configurations and readiness of controlled resources to multiple users and command centers.
Operations
The squadron supports DoD-assigned space missions by operating, maintaining and providing logistical support for the common user resources of the AFSCN. The 21st SOPS Network Operations Center at Onizuka AFS is the prime AFSCN resource for fault isolation/detection for the primary and additional operational switch replacement communication links. It monitors, maintains and updates the status of AFSCN communication resources; and provides status, configurations and readiness of controlled resources to multiple users and command centers. It also manages communications systems for network operations and maintains and operates base communications. Further, the squadron provides base support to some activities on Moffett Federal AirfieldMoffett Federal Airfield
Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, northwest of San Jose. Formerly a United States Navy facility, the former...
.
21st SOPS provides access to the worldwide AFSCN and specialized support to the international space community by providing network communications. The unit is also responsible for maintaining Onizuka AFS' two 60 feet (18.3 m) satellite communication antennas and one 33 feet (10.1 m) Data Link Terminal.
Its sister unit, 22nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, schedules tracking station usage for satellite operators at Schriever AFB and other locations, which ensures users can communicate (through the tracking stations) with the satellites for which they are responsible. A standby system at Onizuka AFS mirrors the scheduling area at 22nd SOPS, providing back up for this important mission.
21st SOPS provides resources to operate and maintain the Onizuka AFS facility and to provide limited administrative and support services to base units and agencies, including security, civil engineering and safety. A small Services contingent is also maintained, including the Space Place snack bar, fitness facility, Moffett Field golf course, and support of in-home family child care.
The 21st SOPS commander is designated the installation commander for Onizuka AFS.
History
The birth of the nation's military presence in space was the CoronaCorona
A corona is a type of plasma "atmosphere" of the Sun or other celestial body, extending millions of kilometers into space, most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but also observable in a coronagraph...
spy-satellite program. Recently declassified, this program convinced the Air Force that a dedicated unit was needed to provide satellite-tracking support for the military. In April 1959, the 6594th Test Wing was activated with its temporary headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. In 1960, land was purchased in Sunnyvale to form the Air Force Satellite Test Center. Construction on the "Blue Cube" was completed in 1968, and on Jan. 1, 1971, the Sunnyvale facilities became Sunnyvale Air Force Station. The installation was renamed to Onizuka Air Force Station on July 24, 1986, in honor of Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka
was a Japanese American astronaut from Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C, before losing his life to the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L...
, who lost his life in the Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
Space Shuttle explosion.
21st SOPS rose out of this rich history. It was activated on Oct. 1, 1991, and within one year, 21st SOPS absorbed the roles of the 2nd Satellite Tracking Group Operations Division and the 1999th Communications Squadron Operations Division. After the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
Committee directed realignment of Onizuka AFS, 21st SOPS absorbed the roles of the 750th Space Group
750th Space Group
The United States Air Force's 750th Space Group was a space operations unit located at Onizuka Air Force Station, California.-History:The 750 SG deactivated in June 1999, following the recommendation of the 1995 Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure commission...
and all subordinate units and the 5th Space Operations Squadron
5th Space Operations Squadron
The United States Air Force's 5th Expeditionary Space Operations Squadron is an expeditionary satellite operations unit administratively assigned to Schriever AFB, Colorado.-Mission:...
.