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Colorado Springs Real Estate
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Free Relocation CD NORAD Peterson AFB Schriever AFB USAFA
Peterson Air Force Base - Space Control
SPACE CONTROL
Space surveillance is a critical element of the space control mission
and will be vitally important to support future theater missile operations
and assured availability of U.S. space forces. Desert Storm proved once
again that whoever controls the high ground has definite military advantage.
In addition
to its wartime missions, space surveillance is important during peacetime.
As part of the space surveillance mission, the wing operates command
and control as well as active and passive surveillance units. More than
9,500 manmade objects in orbit around the earth, ranging in size from
a baseball to the Mir Space Station, are regularly tracked. Knowing
the orbits of those objects is essential to prevent collisions when
a new satellite is launched.
The 1st Space Control Squadron, Cheyenne Mountain AFS, provide collision
avoidance support during each shuttle mission as well as maintain an
extensive satellite catalog. This catalog is used by U.S. civilian and
military agencies when launching new satellites into space, as well
as by U.S. allies.
The 20th Space Surveillance Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla., provides dedicated
active radar space surveillance. In addition, other collateral and contributing
missile warning and research radars are used to support the surveillance
mission.
The wing also controls and operates optical space tracking systems under
the 18th SPSS, Edwards AFB, Calif. The Ground–Based Electro–Optical
Deep Space Surveillance system, or GEODSS, is operated by Detachment
1, Socorro, N.M.; Detachment 2, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories;
Detachment 3, Maui, Hawaii; and Det 4, 18 SPSS at Moron, Spain.
