Air Force Space Command Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) is a major command of the United States Air Force , with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base , Colorado . AFSPC supports U . S . military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite , launch and cyber operations . Operationally , AFSPC is under the Combatant Commander of the U . S . Strategic Command . More than 40 , 000 people perform AFSPC missions at 88 locations worldwide , including military , civilians and contractors . This includes approximately 22 , 000 military personnel and 9 , 000 civilian employees , although their missions overlap . On 1 December 2009 , the intercontinental ballistic missile mission was transferred to the new Air Force Global Strike Command . AFSPC gained the cyber operations mission with the stand - up of 24th Air Force under AFSPC in August 2009 . Mission . According to AFSPC , its mission is " to provide resilient and cost - effective Space and Cyberspace capabilities for the Joint Force and the Nation . " AFSPC claims its activities make space reliable to United States warfighter s ( i . e . forces personnel ) by assuring their access to space . AFSPC ' s primary mission areas : History . During the Cold War , space operations focused on missile warning , and command and control for the National Command Authority . Missile warning and space operations were combined to form what was known as " Space Command " in 1982 . Following the creation of United States Space Command , a Unified Combatant Command , in 1985 , Space Command was renamed " Air Force Space Command " . In 1991 , Operation Desert Storm provided emphasis for the command ' s new focus on support to the warfighter . ICBM forces were merged into AFSPC in 1993 and then moved to Air Force Global Strike Command in 2009 . Air Force Space Command became the lead Major Command for Air Force cyberspace operations in 2009 , gaining Air Force cyber operations and combat communications units and the Air Force Network Integration Center and Air Force Spectrum Management Office ( formerly known as the Air Force Frequency Management Agency ) . On Apr . 1 , 2013 , Air Force Space Command Announced that the Space Innovation and Development Center ' s missions had been realigned under Headquarters , Air Force Space Command , and the Air Force Warfare Center . Organization . Numbered Air Forces . Air Force Space Command has two active Numbered Air Force s ( NAFs ) . Fourteenth Air Force . The Fourteenth Air Force provides space warfighting forces to U . S . Strategic Command in its capacity as Air Forces Strategic - Space , and is located at Vandenberg AFB , California . It manages the generation and employment of space forces to support U . S . Strategic Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) operational plans and missions . Twenty - Fourth Air Force . The Twenty - fourth Air Force , with the cyber operations mission , was activated under AFSPC in August 2009 , at Lackland Air Force Base . Direct Reporting Units . AFSPC is the major command providing space forces and trained cyber warfare forces for U . S . Strategic Command . AFSPC also supports NORAD with ballistic missile warning information , operates the Space Warfare Center to develop space applications for direct warfighter support , and is responsible for the U . S . Department of Defense ' s ICBM follow - on operational test and evaluation program . Space and Missile Systems Center . The Space and Missile Systems Center ( SMC ) at Los Angeles AFB , California , designs and acquires all Air Force and most Department of Defense space systems . It oversees launches , completes on - orbit checkouts , then turns systems over to user agencies . It supports the Program Executive Office for Space on the NAVSTAR Global Positioning , Defense Satellite Communications and MILSTAR systems . SMC also supports the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and the Follow - on Early Warning System . In addition , it supports development and acquisition of land - based intercontinental ballistic missiles for the Air Force Program Executive Office for Strategic Systems . Air Force Network Integration Center . The Air Force Network Integration Center ( AFNIC ) , located at Scott AFB , IL , is a direct reporting unit to Air Force Space Command , and the Air Force ' s premier organization for Air Force Network Integration , cyber simulation , and network standards , architecture and engineering services . Air Force Spectrum Management Office . The AFSMO mission is to plan , provide and preserve access to the radio frequency spectrum for the Air Force and selected Department of Defense activities in support of national policy objectives , systems development and global operations . This includes obtaining spectrum access critical for all Air Force core functions . Locations . The AFSPC headquarters is a major unit located at Peterson AFB , Colorado . There are 6 AFSPC host bases : AFSPC also operates several Air Force Stations for launch support and early warning missions . Space capabilities . Spacelift operations at the East and West Coast launch bases provide services , facilities and range safety control for the conduct of DOD , NASA and commercial launches . Through the command and control of all DOD satellites , satellite operators provide force - multiplying effects — continuous global coverage , low vulnerability and autonomous operations . Satellites provide essential in - theater secure communications , weather and navigational data for ground , air and fleet operations and threat warning . Ground - based radar and Defense Support Program satellites monitor ballistic missile launches around the world to guard against a surprise missile attack on North America . Space surveillance radars provide vital information on the location of satellites and space debris for the nation and the world . General Shelton has said that in order to protect against attacks , Space Situational Awareness is much more important than additional hardening or armoring of satellites . As of 2013 , Space Command is considering Space Disaggregation , which would involve replacing a few large multimission satellites with larger numbers of smaller single purpose birds . This could be used to defend against ASATs , by increasing the number of targets that needed to be attacked . In popular culture . In the science - fiction TV series ’ " Stargate SG - 1 " , " Stargate Atlantis " , and " Stargate Universe " the fictional Stargate Program is managed by the U . S . military , primarily the Air Force . The Air Force Space Command patch was in those series ’ worn by personnel at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station , and onboard various fictional spaceships .