The 73d Space Group is an inactive 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...

 space surveillance organization. Its last assignment was with Fourteenth Air Force

Fourteenth Air Force

The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....

, being stationed at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. It was inactivated on 26 April 1995.

The Group performed space surveillance. In April 1995 the 73d Space Surveillance Group merged with the 21st Space Wing. From that point the 21st became the largest wing in the United States Air Force with units deployed literally throughout the world.

Lineage

• Established as: 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing on 1 November 1966

Organized on 1 January 1967

Inactivated on 30 April 1971

• Redesignated as 73d Space Surveillance Group on 10 February 1989

Activated on 1 March 1989

Redesignated as 73d Space Wing on 1 June 1991

Redesignated as 73d Space Group on 1 May 1992

Inactivated on 26 April 1995

Assignments

• 9th Aerospace Defense Division., 1 January 1967
• 14th Aerospace Force, 1 July 1968 – 30 April 1971
• Air Force Space Command
  Air Force Space Command
  Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
  
  , 1 March 1989
• 1st Space Wing, 1 June 1991
• 14th Air Force, 20 September 1993 – 26 April 1995

Stations

• Ent AFB, Colorado
  Colorado
  Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
  
  , 1 January 1967
• Tyndall AFB, Florida, 17 July 1967 – 30 April 1971
• Falcon AFB, Colorado
  Colorado
  Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
  
  , 1 June 1991 – 26 April 1995

Components

• 1st Command and Control Squadron
  1st Space Control Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 1st Space Control Squadron was a space situational awareness unit located at Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Colorado and later moved to Vandenberg AFB, California...
  
   (28 February 1992 – 24 June 1994)
• 1 Deep Surveillance Squadron (later, 1st Surveillance Squadron, 1st Space Surveillance Squadron
  1st Space Surveillance Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 1st Space Surveillance Squadron was a space surveillance unit located at Griffiss AFB, New York.-Mission:...
  
   (1 April 1989 – 26 April 1995)
• 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron (1 October 1992 – 26 April 1995)
• 4th Surveillance Squadron
  4th Space Control Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 4th Space Control Squadron is an offensive space control unit located at Holloman AFB, New Mexico.-Mission:...
  
   (later, 4th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 October 1990 – 26 April 1995)
• 5 Surveillance Squadron
  5th Space Surveillance Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 5th Space Surveillance Squadron was a space surveillance unit located at RAF Feltwell, United Kingdom.-Mission:...
  
   (later, 5th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 October 1990 – 26 April 1995)
• 16 Surveillance Squadron
  16th Space Control Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 16th Space Control Squadron is an Air Force Space Command unit located at Peterson AFB, Colorado and assigned to the 21st Space Wing. The 16th SPCS operates the Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting System ....
  
   (later, 16th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 September 1991 – 1 October 1994)
• 17 Surveillance Squadron
  17th Space Surveillance Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 17th Space Surveillance Squadron was a space surveillance unit located at RAF Edzell, Scotland. Before its inactivation, the 17th SSSoperated sensors for the Low-Altitude Surveillance System .-History:...
  
   (later, 17th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 31 December 1969; 15 November 1993 – 26 April 1995)
• 18th Surveillance Squadron
  18th Space Control Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 18th Space Control Squadron was a space surveillance unit located at Edwards AFB, California. Before its inactivation, the 18th SPCS operated optical sensors for the Ground-based Electro Optical Deep Space System .-Mission:The mission of the 18th SPCS is to provide...
  
   (later, 18th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 July 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 19th Surveillance Squadron
  19th Space Operations Squadron
  The 19th Space Operations Squadron is an Air Force Reserve space operations unit, located at Schriever AFB, Colorado.-Mission:...
  
   (later, 19th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 October 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 20th Surveillance Squadron
  20th Space Control Squadron
  The United States Air Force's 20th Space Control Squadron is a space control unit located at Eglin AFB, Florida.-Mission:The mission of the 20th Space Control Squadron is to detect, track, identify, and report near earth and deep space objects in earth's orbit, and provide space object...
  
   (later, 20th Space Surveillance Squadron) (1 January 1967 – 30 April 1971; 1 August 1991 – 26 April 1995)
• 73d Operations Support Squadron (15 May 1992 – 26 April 1995)
• 73d Support Squadron (later, 73d Mission Support Squadron (15 May 1992 – 26 April 1995)

Detachments

• Detachment 1, 73d Space Group – San Vito dei Normanni AS, Italy (1 October 1989 – 1 October 1990)
• Detachment 2, 73d Space Group – RAF Feltwell
  RAF Feltwell
  RAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is currently used by the United States Air Forces Europe. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and is in the borough of King's Lynn at approximate Ordnance Survey grid reference .A former Second World War...
  
  , United Kingdom (1 October 1989 – 1 October 1990)
• Detachment 3, 73d Space Group – Misawa AB, Japan (1 January 1991 – 1 October 1992)

Blazon

Per chevron reversed celeste and azure a plate bearting a torteau radiating seven fillets throughout argent and over-all a fillet forming an nuclear rose of the last seeded of seven electrons gules and leaved of seven flight symbols or, all within a diminished bordure of the like.