Members of the National Space Council

United States Space Force

The U.S. Space Force is the 6th independent U.S. military service branch, tasked with missions and operations in the rapidly evolving space domain.

Space Force was signed into law Dec. 20, 2019, as part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. SpaceForce.mil went live shortly thereafter.

The U.S. Space Force is be the first new military service in more than 70 years, following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

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The Department of Defense forwarded a Space Force proposal to Congress, on March 1, 2019, calling for a service that would fall under the Air Force in the same way the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy. The proposal also included the designation of a new position: undersecretary of the Air Force for space, a civilian position that would answer to the secretary of the Air Force and oversee U.S. Space Force. Officials estimated the creation of a new service would cost $2 billion over five years, and require 15,000 personnel.

On Aug. 29, 2019, the Pentagon activated U.S. Space Command, a new U.S. combatant command led by Air Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, intended to serve as a precursor to U.S. Space Force. The Pentagon had a U.S. Space Command from 1985 to 2002, but it had a far more limited scope and was not a geographic combatant command.

Space Force News

Find the latest news and information on the U.S. Space Force including top stories, technology, policies, leadership, and more.

Aragon DFAC on Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Peterson Space Force Base Dining Hall Closed Indefinitely After 'Significant Safety Incident'

Guardians and airmen stationed at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado have been without an on-base dining hall facility for...

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Starlink 7-16 mission from Vandenberg

Newsom Sides with Musk in Dispute Over SpaceX Rocket Launches

The SpaceX dispute centers around the Coastal Commission’s rejection of the company’s plan to increase the number of rockets...

Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman

General in Charge of the US Space Force Inducted into Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame

Gen. Chance Saltzman, the second person to hold the chief of space operations title, said in an interview the Space Force has...

BLACK SKIES 22 exercise at Vandenberg Space Force Base

Lawmakers Ask Armed Services Committees to Keep Governors' Authority over National Guard

Lawmakers are asking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to keep language in the defense bill that...

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 4 at Kennedy Space Center

Space Force Makes Tricky Maneuver with Top-Secret Space Plane to Dispose of Debris

The unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle has been in space since late December, and it has been used for classified...

Satellite Dish dining facility at Schriever Space Force Base

Troops at Colorado Space Force Base Will Have to Bring Their Own To-Go Boxes for Dining Hall

While the initiative is aimed at reducing waste on base, the spokesperson added that they hope it will give troops on base...

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew, joins Expedition 72 aboard the ISS

Space Force Colonel Becomes First Guardian to Launch into Space on NASA Mission

Col. Nick Hague, a Space Force Guardian and NASA astronaut, launched Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in...

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman

Space Force Touts Plans for Part-Time Service, Even as Opposition and Space National Guard Proposal Loom

The Space Force won't be accepting applications for part-time service until at least 2026. But a separate push to create a...

Haleakala Silversword, a highly-endangered plant on the island of Maui, Hawaii

Air Force Looks to Add Telescopes on Sacred Hawaii Volcano as Outrage Continues over Fuel Spill

A year and seven months after 700 gallons of fuel spilled at a Space Force observatory located atop a sacred Hawaiian volcano...

Space Force Guardians assigned to the 1st Delta Operations Squadron, Detachment 1, receive their Space Force patch during a private ceremony April 24, 2024. Senior Master Sgt. Cody Brown, Senior enlisted leader, 1st Delta Operations Squadron, Vandenberg Space Force Station, California, was the guest speaker during the ceremony. (2nd Lt. Kate Anderson/Air Force)

Space Force Tuition Assistance

Space Force members take off-duty college courses under the Department of the Air Force's Military Tuition Assistance program...

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