The Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW) was a unit of

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

Space and Missile Systems Center Space Systems Command (SSC) is the United States Space Force's space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command. It is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California and manages the United States' space launch ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

. The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

is located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The unit was combined with another

directorate and is now known as the Advanced Systems and Development Directorate.

Mission

The Space Development and Test Directorate develops, tests and evaluates Air Force space systems, executes advanced space development and demonstration projects, and rapidly transitions capabilities to the warfighter.

History

The Space Development and Test Wing was activated 1 August 2006. Prior to that, Detachment 12 of the

had been activated at Kirtland AFB 29 June 2001, taking responsibility for research, developmental test and evaluation organizations that had been co-located at Kirtland AFB alongside the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...

Space Vehicles and Directed Energy Directorates. * Lineage ** Detachment 2,

, Onizuka AS, CA ** SMC, Test and Evaluation Directorate, Kirtland AFB, NM ** Detachment 12,

, Kirtland AFB, NM (activated 29 June 2001) ** Space Development and Test Wing, Kirtland AFB, NM (activated 1 Aug 2006) **

Advanced Systems and Development Directorate The Advanced Systems and Development Directorate (SMC/AD) is a directorate of the United States Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Kirtland Air Force Base. It has operating divisions at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Hill ...

, Kirtland AFB, NM''"SMC stands up new Advanced Systems and Development Directorate, 24 Nov 2014. http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/554895/smc-stands-up-new-advanced-systems-and-development-directorate.aspx * Past Directors and Commanders ** Craig Martin, Colonel, USAF (retired) ** James Ford, Colonel, USAF (retired) ** Ralph Monfort, Colonel, USAF (retired)

Operations

Units

The Space Development and Test Wing is divided into two

Groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

, the Space Development Group and the Space Test Group. * Space Development Group ** Responsive Space Squadron ** Responsive Satellite Command and Control Division ** Human Spaceflight Payloads Division - Houston, TX *Space Test Group ** Space Test Squadron *** SOC 96 - Schriever AFB *** SOC 97 - Kirtland AFB ** Space Test Operations Squadron ** Launch Test Squadron

Mission

History

Operations

Units

References

See also