Space Delta 8

Space Delta 8
Space Delta 8
	Delta emblem
Founded	24 July 2020; 4 years ago
Country	United States
Branch	United States Space Force
Type	Delta
Role	Satellite communication
Size	635 personnel
Part of	Space Operations Command
Headquarters	Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, U.S.
Motto(s)	"Masters of Space"
Website	Official website
Commanders
Commander	Col Jeffery E. Weisler
Vice Commanders	Lt Col Daniel Sebeck and Lt Col Damian Ochs
Senior Enlisted Leader	CMSgt Kelby R. LaJoie
Insignia
Guidon

Space Delta 8 (DEL 8) is the United States Space Force unit responsible for military satellite communications and operates a variety of satellite constellation. It is headquartered at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

History

Before the founding of an independent Space Force, the Air Force Space Command's (AFSPC) 50th Operations Group (50 OG), part of the 50th Space Wing, performed the satellite communications and position, navigation, and timing missions. As part of the reorganization in the stand-up of Space Force, 50 OG was inactivated and DEL 8 was activated on 24 July 2020.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] On 8 February 2022, the 50th Operations Support Squadron was inactivated and the 8th Combat Training Squadron was activated.^[6]

In September 2021, the Space Force publicly identified Army and Navy SATCOM units that would transfer to DEL 8.^[1]^[7]^[8] On 6 June 2022, the Naval Satellite Operations Center transferred as the 10th Space Operations Squadron,^[9] followed on 29 June 2022 by the Army's 53rd Signal Battalion, which became the 53rd Space Operations Squadron.^[10]^[11]

On 7 July 2022, Colonel David Pheasant, a former Army officer who had once commanded the 53rd Signal Battalion, took command of DEL 8, becoming the first inter-service transfer officer to command a Space Force Delta.^[12]^[13]

In 2023, the 2nd Space Operations Squadron was transferred to the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Integrated Mission Delta (Provisional) with the transfer of the position, navigation, and timing mission set into the new unit.^[14]

Structure

DEL 8 is composed of four squadrons.

Emblem	Name	Function	Headquarters	Spacecraft
Squadrons
	8th Combat Training Squadron^[15]	Operational training and certification, tactics development, engineering support, and crew force management	Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado
	4th Space Operations Squadron	Satellite communication^[16]	Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado	Advanced Extremely High Frequency Defense Satellite Communications System Phase III Military Strategic and Tactical Relay Wideband Global Satellite Communications^[17]
	10th Space Operations Squadron^[18]	Satellite communication	Point Mugu, California	Mobile User Objective System Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On Fleet Satellite Communications System^[1]
	53rd Satellite Operations Squadron	Satellite communication	Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado	Wideband Global SATCOM Defense Satellite Communications System

List of commanders

No.	Commander		Term			Ref
No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration	Ref
1		Holston, Matthew E.Colonel Matthew E. Holston	24 July 2020	7 July 2022	1 year, 348 days	^[19]^[20]
2		Pheasant, David A.Colonel David A. Pheasant	7 July 2022	24 June 2024	1 year, 353 days	^[12]^[21]
3		Weisler, Jeffery E.Colonel Jeffery E. Weisler	24 June 2024	Incumbent	141 days	^[22]^[23]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Army, Navy satellite operations to consolidate under Space Force". SpaceNews. June 23, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ "Space Force Announces Significant Reorganization". Air Force Magazine. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
^ "50th SW activates 750th OG". Schriever Air Force Base. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
^ "Delta 8 Fact Sheet". Schriever Air Force Base. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "Space Force reorganizes former Air Force space wings into "Deltas" and "Garrisons"". SpaceNews. SpaceNews. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
^ "8th Combat Training Squadron Activation Ceremony". DVIDS. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ "Space Force reveals which Army and Navy units are moving to the space branch". SpaceNews. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ "Army, Navy SATCOM Mission Areas Shifting to U.S. Space Force". United States Space Force. September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ "Navy Unit Transfers Into Space Force, Becomes 10th Space Operations Squadron". June 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ "Schriever SFB welcomes new space squadron, commander". Space Base Delta 1. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ "Army Sat Ops Brigade Transfers To Space Force: Karbler". May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Space Delta 8 gains new commander". Space Base Delta 1. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
^ "LTC David Pheasant". www.smdc.army.mil. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
^ "SpOC launches Space Force's first two IMD betas". October 16, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
^ "8 CTS Activation Ceremony". Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022 – via www.facebook.com.
^ "2nd Space Operations Squadron". Schriever Air Force Base. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
^ "4th Space Operations Squadron". Schriever Air Force Base. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
^ "Space Delta 8". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
^ "Colonel Matthew E. Holston". www.schriever.spaceforce.mil. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
^ "USSF Virtual Activation & Deactivation Ceremonies". DVIDS. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
^ "Colonel David A. Pheasant". Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
^ Rose, Danielle (June 25, 2024). "Space Delta 8 welcomes new SATCOM commander". Space Base Delta 1. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
^ "Colonel Jeffery E. Weisler". Space Base Delta 1. June 2024. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.