Santa Maria Sun / News

Vandenberg welcomes a new squadron

BY AMY ASMAN

Officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base will hold a July 30 dedication ceremony in Lompoc for the new Ellison Onizuka Satellite Operations Facility—now home of the 21st Space Operations Squadron.

The squadron, along with base operations for Onizuka Air Force Station, was recently transferred to Vandenberg, following the Sunnyvale-based station’s closure.

According to a press release, the squadron will continue satellite operations at the new facility, upholding the legacy of Col. Ellison Onizuka, an Air Force astronaut who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded shortly after lift-off on Jan. 28, 1986.

The squadron’s mission is to plan and conduct specialized communications for a wide array of Department of Defense, allied, civil, and national space systems. The 25-member unit monitors, maintains, and updates status of the $6.2 billion-Air Force Satellite Control Network, and serves as the only Department of Defense link to NASA. It has supported every Space Shuttle mission to date.

For more information about the Ellison Onizuka Satellite Operations Facility and the 21st Squadron, visit vandenberg.af.mil.