10th Space Operations Squadron explained

Unit Name:	10th Space Operations Squadron
Dates:	1962–present^[1]
Country:	United States
Role:	Satellite communications
Command Structure:	Space Delta 8
Garrison:	Point Mugu, California, U.S.
Garrison Label:	Headquarters
Commander1:	Lt Col Jason Sanders
Commander1 Label:	Commander
Commander2 Label:	Deputy Commander
Commander3 Label:	Superintendent
Identification Symbol Label:	Naval Satellite Operations Center (1990-2022)
Identification Symbol 2 Label:	Navy Astronautics Group (1962-1990)

The 10th Space Operations Squadron (10 SOPS) is the United States Space Force unit responsible for operating the Mobile User Objective System and Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On satellite constellations, providing global communications to the United States Armed Forces.^{[1] [2]}

History

Navy (1962-2022)

See also: Naval Space Command and United States Tenth Fleet.

The first military space operations command in history,^[3] the Navy Astronautics Group (e or NAG) was established on May 22, 1962 under the command of CDR J.C. Quillen, Jr.^[4] Tasked with operating the Navy's satellites, the unit commanded the Navy Navigational Satellite System, also known as Transit, the world's first satellite navigation system.^[5] The Navy Astronautics Group was redesignated as the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) in June 1990.

Space Force (2022-present)

In September 2021, it was announced that NAVSOC would be transferred from the Navy to the newly-independent US Space Force under Space Delta 8.^{[6] [7] [8]} On 6 June 2022, NAVSOC was formally disestablished and 10 SOPS assumed its mission, personnel, resources, and heritage in total.^[9] According to Space Delta 8, the squadron was given its number to honor its heritage under 10th Fleet.^[10]

Constellations

The unit has operated various types of military satellites, including:

Constellation	Abbreviation	First launch	Purpose
Transit	NAVSAT or NNSS	1959	Navigation
Fleet Satellite Communications System	FLTSATCOM or FLTSAT	1978	Communication
Geodetic Satellite	GEOSAT	1985	Earth observation
Ultra High Frequency Follow-On	UFO	1993	Communication
Geodetic Satellite Follow-On^[11]	GFO	1998	Earth observation
Mobile User Objective System	MUOS	2012	Communication

Command Structure

• Headquarters, Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California
  • Detachment A, Prospect Harbor, Maine
  • Detachment C, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Dededo, Guam
  • Detachment D, Schriever SFB, El Paso County, Colorado

Former site:

• Detachment B, Rosemount, Minnesota (disestablished August 1997)

List of commanders

• Lt Col Jason Sanders, 6 June 2022

Notes and References

1. Web site: (U) NAVSOC. www.wslfweb.org.
2. Web site: 50th Space Wing’s satellites, ground systems buoy NAVSOC. Schriever Space Force Base.
3. Web site: From the Sea to the Stars A Chronicle of the U.S. Navy's Space and Space-related Activities, 1944-2009. Naval History and Heritage Command. 2010.
4. Web site: Naval Aviation News. February 1963. 9. pdf. December 7, 2023.
5. Web site: U.S. Navy operates on Schriever. Schriever Space Force Base. 13 October 2016.
6. Web site: Space Force reveals which Army and Navy units are moving to the space branch. 21 September 2021. SpaceNews.
7. Web site: Army, Navy SATCOM Mission Areas Shifting to U.S. Space Force. United States Space Force.
8. Web site: Army, Navy satellite operations to consolidate under Space Force. June 23, 2021. SpaceNews.
9. Web site: Space Delta 8. www.facebook.com.
10. Web site: Navy Satellite Center Disestablished, Transferred to U.S. Space Force. 9 June 2022. SeaPower Magazine.
11. Web site: GFO (GEOSAT Follow-On) Satellite. February 18, 2022. eoPortal Directory.