List of space forces, units, and formations

This is a list of space forces, units, and formations that identifies the current and historical antecedents and insignia for the military space arms of countries fielding a space component, whether an independent space force, multinational commands, joint command, or as a part of another military service.

Independent space forces

Country	Current	Service Indigenous name	Former	Established
China		People's Liberation Army Aerospace Force [1]		2024
		People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force Space Systems Department  [ zh ] [2]		2015–2024
		People's Liberation Army General Armaments Department [3]		1998–2016
United States		United States Space Force [4]		2019
		Air Force Space Command [4]		1982–2019
		Space Command [5]		1982–1985
		Strategic Air Command [6]		1963–1984 [a]
		Aerospace Defense Command [6]		1976–1980 [b]
		Fourteenth Aerospace Force (Aerospace Defense Command) [6]		1968–1980 [c]
		9th Aerospace Defense Division (Air Defense Command) [6]		1961–1968
		Air Defense Command [6]		1960–1961 [d]
		Air Force Security Service [7] [8]		1955–1964 [e]
		Space and Missile Systems Center (Air Force Materiel Command) [6]		1992–2001 [f]
		Space Systems Division (Air Force Systems Command) [6]		1989–1992 [g]
		Space Division (Air Force Systems Command) [6]		1979–1989
		Space and Missile Systems Organization (Air Force Systems Command) [6]		1967–1979
		Space Systems Division (Air Force Systems Command) [6]		1961–1967
		Air Force Ballistic Missile Organization (Air Research and Development Command) [6]		1957–1961
		Western Development Division (Air Research and Development Command) [6]		1954–1957
		Air Research and Development Command [6]		1950–1954
		Air Materiel Command [6]		1947–1951 [h]
		United States Army Air Forces [6]		1945–1947 [i]

Air and space forces

Country	Current	Service Indigenous name	Former	Established
Colombia		Colombian Aerospace Force		2023
France		French Space Command (French Air and Space Force) [9]		2019
		Joint Space Command (French Air Force) [10]		2010–2019
Iran		Iranian Space Command (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force) [11]		2020
Netherlands		Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force		2025
Russia (1992–present) Commonwealth of Independent States (1991–1992) Soviet Union (1955–1991)		Russian Space Forces (Russian Aerospace Forces) [12]		2015 [j]
		Russian Space Command (Russian Aerospace Defence Forces) [13]		2011–2015 [k]
		Russian Space Forces [14]		2001–2011
		Russian Strategic Rocket Forces [14]		1997–2001
		Military Space Forces [14]		1992–1997 [l]
		Rocket and Space Defence Troops (Russian Air Defence Forces) [14] [15]		1992–1997 [m]
		Anti-Ballistic Missile and Anti-Space Defense Forces (Soviet Air Defense Forces) [15]		1967–1992
		Chief Directorate of Space Assets (Soviet Ministry of Defence) [16] [17]		1986–1992
		Main Directorate of Space Assets (Soviet Armed Forces General Staff) [14] [17]		1982–1986
		Main Directorate of Space Assets (Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces) [18] [17]		1970–1982
		Central Directorate of Space Assets (Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces) [18]		1964–1970
		3rd Department of the Main Missile Directorate of the Ministry of Defence [17]		1960–1964
		Artillery of the Supreme High Command Reserve [19] [17]		1955–1959
Spain		Spanish Air and Space Force		2022

Joint and multinational space commands

Country	Current	Service Indigenous name	Former	Established
Australia		Defence Space Command		2022
Canada United States		North American Aerospace Defense Command [6]		1981
		North American Air Defense Command [6]		1960–1981 [n]
India		Defence Space Agency [20]		2018
Italy		Space Operations Command		2020
Mexico		Mexican Secretariat of National Defense [21]		2019
NATO		NATO Space Centre (Allied Air Command) [22]		2020
		Allied Air Command [23]		2013
Peru		National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development (Peruvian Ministry of Defense) [24]		1974
South Korea		Agency for Defense Development (Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense) [25]		1970
Spain		Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial		1942
United Kingdom		United Kingdom Space Command (Royal Air Force) [26]		2021
		United Kingdom Strategic Command [27]		2019–2021
		Joint Forces Command [27]		2012–2019
United States		United States Space Command [28]		2019
		Joint Force Space Component Command (U.S. Strategic Command) [29]		2017–2019
		Joint Functional Component Command for Space (U.S. Strategic Command) [29]		2006–2017
		Joint Space Operations (U.S. Strategic Command) [29]		2005–2006
		United States Strategic Command [29]		2002–2005
		United States Space Command [29]		1985–2002
		Aerospace Defense Command [6]		1975–1986 [o]
		Continental Air Defense Command [6]		1960–1975 [q]
		Advanced Research Projects Agency [6]		1958–1959

Service space units and formations

Country	Current	Service Indigenous name	Former	Established
Australia		Australian Space Operations Centre and No. 1 Remote Sensor Unit RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) [30] [31]		2015
Brazil		Aerospace Operations Command (Brazilian Air Force) [32]		2017
Canada		3 Canadian Space Division (Royal Canadian Air Force) [33]		2022
Germany		Bundeswehr Space Command  [ de ] (German Air Force) [34]		2021
		Air and Space Operations Centre  [ de ] (German Air Force) [35]		2020
		Space Situational Awareness Center  [ de ] (German Air Force) [36]		2009
Iran		Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force [37]		2021
Israel		Space Branch (Israeli Air Force) [38]		1988
Japan		Space Operations Group (Japan Air Self Defense Force) [39]		2020
Luxembourg		Luxembourg Army [40]		2017
New Zealand		Royal New Zealand Air Force [41]		2025
North Korea		Korean People's Army Air Force [42]		2023 [r]
Pakistan		Space Command (Pakistan Air Force)		2021
South Korea		Republic of Korea Air Force [43]		2021 [s]
Thailand		Royal Thai Air Force [44]		2020
Turkey		Space Command [45] Reconnaissance Satellites Command [46] Air and Space Force Development Center		2005
United Kingdom		No. 23 Squadron (Royal Air Force) [47]		2021
		1001 Signal Unit (Royal Air Force) [48] [49]		1966–2003 [t]
United States		Army Space and Missile Defense Command [50]		1997
		Army Space and Strategic Defense Command [51]		1992–1997
		Army Space Command [52]		1988–2003 [u]
		Army Space Agency [53]		1986–1988
		Army Space Planning Group [53]		1985–1986
		Army Staff Program Element at Air Force Space Command [53]		1984–1985
		Army Strategic Defense Command [53]		1985–1992
		Ballistic Missile Defense Organization [54]		1974–1985
		Safeguard program [54]		1969–1974
		Sentinel program [54]		1967–1969
		Nike–X Project Office [54]		1964–1967
		Nike–Zeus Project Office (Army Missile Command) [54]		1962–1964
		Army Ballistic Missile Agency (Army Ordnance Missile Command) [55]		1956–1961 [v]
		Army Ordnance Corps [55]		1950–1956
		Army Ordnance Department [55]		1945–1950 [w]
		Army Information Systems Command [52]		1984–1988 [x]
		Army Communications Command [52]		1973–1984
		Army Strategic Communications Command [54]		1964–1973 [y]
		Army Signal Corps [54]		1958–1964 [z]
		Marine Corps Forces Space Command [56]		2020
		Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command [56]		2002–2020
		Navy Space Command / Tenth Fleet [57]		2020
		Fleet Cyber Command / Tenth Fleet [58]		2010–2020
		Naval Network Warfare Command [59]		2002–2010 [aa]
		Naval Space Command [59]		1983–2002
		Naval Astronautics Group [60]		1962–1983 [ab]
		Naval Space Surveillance Center [60]		1960–1983 [ac]
		Naval Information Warfare Systems Command [60]		2019
		Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command [60]		1985–2019
		Naval Electronic Systems Command [60]		1966–1985
		Naval Air Systems Command [60]		1964–1974 [ad]
		Naval Material Command [60]		1966–1974 [ae]
		Bureau of Naval Weapons [60]		1962–1965 [af]
		Bureau of Ships [60]		1961–1964 [ag]
		Project Vanguard (Naval Research Laboratory) [60]		1955–1958 [ah]
		Naval Research Laboratory [60]		1944–1955 [ai]
		First Air Force (Air Combat Command) [61]		2021
		United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center [62]		2018
Vietnam		Vietnam People's Air Force [63]		2022

See also

• List of air forces
• List of armies by country
• List of militaries by country
• List of navies
• Ranks and insignia of space forces

Notes

1. Established as an Air Force major command in 1946. Gained Defense Meteorological Satellite Program in 1963 and Aerospace Defense Command's space forces in 1980. Transferred space forces to Space Command from 1982 to 1984
2. Missile warning and space surveillance activities moved into Strategic Air Command in 1980 ^{[ citation needed ]}
3. Fourteenth Aerospace Force inactivated in 1976 and space responsibilities centralized directly under Aerospace Defense Command
4. Established as an Air Force major command in 1946. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
5. Transferred missile surveillance radars to Air Defense Command in 1964–1966^{[ citation needed ]}
6. Transferred to Air Force Space Command in 2001 ^{[ citation needed ]}
7. Launch mission transferred to Air Force Space Command in 1990
8. Space and missile program transferred to Air Research and Development Command in 1950
9. Space and missile program started in 1945 and space mission claimed in 1946^{[ citation needed ]}
10. Missile interceptors moved into the Aerospace Forces' Air and Missile Defense Forces
11. Aerospace Defence Forces merged air defense and the Space Force's missile defense and space assets into one service
12. Merged into the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1997
13. Rocket and Space Defence Troops moved into the Strategic Rocket Forces, while aviation and air defense forces merged into the Russian Air Force in 1997
14. Established as a command in 1958. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
15. Specified combatant command from 1975 to 1986
16. Established as a combatant command in 1954. Gained space and missile warning responsibility in 1960
17. ^[p]
18. the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force also became a space force, decades from its founding in 1946, with the launch of the Malligyong-1
19. the Republic of Korea Air Force launches its space ops center from its HQ
20. Skynet operations assumed by Airbus Defence and Space
21. Subordinated to Army Space and Strategic Defense Command in 1992
22. Space and rocket program transferred to NASA becoming the Marshall Space Flight Center
23. Ballistic missile program started in 1945
24. Defense Satellite Communications System transferred to Army Space Command
25. Activated to run the Defense Satellite Communications System
26. Communication and weather satellite projects started in 1958
27. Subordinated to Fleet Cyber Command/Tenth Fleet
28. Subordinated to Naval Space Command in 1983. Renamed the Naval Satellite Operations Center in 1990
29. Subordinated to Naval Space Command in 1983. Later transferred to Air Force Space Command's 20th Space Control Squadron in 2004
30. Astronautics programs transferred to Naval Electronic Systems Command in 1974
31. Astronautics programs transferred to Naval Electronic Systems Command in 1974
32. Range operations transferred to Navy Material Command and astronautics programs transferred to Naval Air Systems Command in 1966
33. Assumed responsibility for satellite communications in 1961; responsibilities transferred to Naval Air Systems Command in 1964
34. Turned over to NASA in 1958 and became the core of Goddard Space Flight Center
35. Space science and rocketry program started in 1944

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