The site is situated on 37 acres. The squadron initially stood up as Det. 73rd Space Group in January 1991. The detachment was inactivated and the 3rd SPSS was activated in October 1992. AREA Misawa AB, about 400 miles north of Tokyo, is in a very rural area on the northern most tip of the main Japanese island, Honshu.
Winters are long and harsh, with temperatures ranging around freezing.
The average snowfall for the area is about 120 inches each year. Winter sports do abound, and the ski resorts near Misawa are some of the best in the country. Summers are warm and humid. It normally gets quite warm, upper 80s to mid 90s with the humidity to match during the summer months.