The 2nd Space Launch Squadron is an active
United States Space Force
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces, armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the Unite ...
unit. It is located at
Vandenberg Space Force Base
Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the ...
, California, and was reactivated in July 2019 with the merger of the
4th Space Launch Squadron and the
1st Air and Space Test Squadron.
History
When founded, the two launch squadrons at
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg may refer to:
* Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name
* USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida
* Vandenberg S ...
divided launch duties, with the
4th Space Launch Squadron working with Titan II and Titan IV vehicles while the 2nd worked with
Delta II
Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...
,
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets.
Atlases have traditio ...
, and other launch vehicles. On 18 May 1998, the two squadrons merged into the 2nd SLS. The merged squadron was responsible for all launch operations at Vandenberg AFB. The reason for the merger was the similarity in missions performed by both units. It was inactivated after the last
Titan IV launch. In June 2019 the 4th Space Launch Squadron and the 1st Air and Space Test Squadron merged and reactivated as the 2nd Space Launch Squadron. The reestablished unit took on all the missions of both the 1st Air and Space Test Squadron and the 4th Space Launch Squadron. the 2nd Space Launch Squadron was one of only two space launch squadrons in the U.S. Air Force. the other being the 5th Space launch Squadron at Cape Canaveral.
Both space launch squadrons are now part of the U.S. Space Force.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 2d Space Launch Squadron on 11 September 1990
: Activated on 1 October 1990
[Lineage, including assignments, decorations and stations, through 1995 in Endicott, p. 330]
: Inactivated on 31 October 2005
[Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, October 2005, Maxwell AFB, AL]
: Activated on 1 June 2019
Assignments
*
Western Space and Missile Center, 1 October 1990
*
30th Operations Group, 19 November 1991
[
* 30th Launch Group, 1 December 2003 - 31 October 2005][
* 30th Operations Group, 1 June 2019
]
Stations
*Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg may refer to:
* Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name
* USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida
* Vandenberg S ...
, California, 1 October 1990 – 31 October 2005;[ 1 June 2019 - present
]
Aircraft and missiles
* Atlas E
* Atlas IIAS
*Delta II
Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...
* Titan IV
*Titan II
The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier Titan I missile. Titan II was originally designed and used as an ICBM, but was later adapted as a medium-lift space ...
, 1 October 1990 – 2005
Decorations
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force ...
* 1 November 1991 - 30 September 1993[
]
List of commanders
* Lt Col Clinton Crosier, July 2001–July 2003
* Lt Col David D. Thompson, June 2002–July 2004
* Lt Col Brian Chatman, June 2018-July 2020
* Lt Col Ken Peters, July 2020-June 2022
* Lt Col Shane Rexius, June 2022-21 June 2024
* Lt Col Andrew Singleton, 21 June 2024-present
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Vandenberg Air Force Base
{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd Space Launch Squadron
Squadrons of the United States Space Force