The Space Force Delta is the official

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

of the U.S. Space Force, the space warfare service branch of the

U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

. The delta itself was unveiled on 22 July 2020.

Symbolism

* First used in 1961, the Delta symbol honors the heritage of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and

Space Command A space command is a military organization with responsibility for space operations and warfare. A space command is typically a Jointness, joint organization or organized within a larger military branch and is distinct from a fully independent s ...

. * The silver outer border of the delta signifies defense and protection from all adversaries and threats emanating from the space domain. * Inside the delta, the two spires represent the action of a rocket launching into the outer atmosphere in support of the central role of the Space Force in defending the space domain. *The four beveled elements symbolize the joint

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

supporting the space mission:

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

, and

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

. * In the center of the delta is the star

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

, which symbolizes how the core values guide the Space Force mission.

History

The Space Force Delta was officially unveiled by the

Senior Enlisted Advisor of the Space Force The chief master sergeant of the Space Force (CMSSF) is the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of space operations and the secretary of the Air Force. The chief master sergeant of the Space Force is the most senior enlisted guardian in the ...

, CMSgt Roger A. Towberman on 22 July 2020, alongside the Space Force's motto ''Semper Supra'', which translates to "Always Above". The delta symbol has a strong historical tradition in the Space Force, being first used by military space units in 1961 and also being used to identify the second highest echelon of Space Force units, as well as holding a central position in the

Space Operations Badge The Space Operations Badge is an occupational badge for guardians of the United States Space Force

, Space Force seal, and Space Force flag. The seal and delta quickly gained social media notoriety, as individuals compared it to the seal of

Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduct ...

from ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''; however, the Space Force refuted the notion, stating that the central delta insignia was first used in 1942 by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, and then adopted by the Air Force's early space program in 1961, years before ''

'' debuted in 1966. A number of military commentators noted that it was likely that ''Star Trek'' derived its logo from

Air Force Space Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

, rather than the other way around.

References

{{United States Space Force United States Space Force Heraldry of the United States military Symbols introduced in 2020 Logos

Symbolism

History

See also

References