5th Expeditionary Space Operations Squadron

The United States Air Force's 5th Expeditionary Space Operations Squadron is an expeditionary satellite operations unit, assigned to Air Force Space Command to activate or inactivate as needed.

History
5th SOPS rose out of the rich history of the Air Force Satellite Control Facility. The squadron was provisionally activated as Operating Location-A, 750th Space Group, on October 1, 1992. This satellite control facility established one of the Air Force's major roles in space: satellite operations. AFSCF was later divided into the 2nd Space Test Group and the Consolidated Space Test Center on October 1, 1987, when AFSPC took over Onizuka Air Force Base, now Onizuka Air Station. OL-A encompassed the CSTC divisions of VOS, VOE, and VOD. the 5th was officially activated 22 November 1993, under the 50th Operations Group and within one year, the 21st Space Operations Squadron absorbed the roles of the 2nd Satellite Tracking Group Operations Division and the 1999th Communications Squadron Operations Division. After the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Committee directed realignment of Onizuka AFS, and the 21st absorbed the roles of the 750th Space Group and all subordinate units and the 5th Space Operations Squadron.

In a three-week span, in late 1993, the squadron flawlessly launched a DSCS III and a NATO IV communication satellite, supported NASA's Hubble telescope repair and activated as the 5th Space Operations Squadron. The squadron has launched the IUS in support of NASA programs including all seven TDRS and three inter-planetary spacecraft: Galileo (Jupiter), Magellan (Venus), and Ulysses (Sun).

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 5th Satellite Control Squadron on 11 April 1989
 * Activated on 1 May 1989
 * Redesignated 5th Space Operations Squadron on 30 January 1992
 * Inactivated on 31 July 1992
 * Activated on 22 November 1993
 * Inactivated on 13 June 2000
 * Redesignated 5th Expeditionary Space Operations Squadron and converted to provisional status on 5 December 2007

Assignments

 * 1000th Satellite Operations Group, 1 May 1989 – 31 July 1992
 * 50th Operations Group, 22 November 1993 – 13 June 2000
 * Air Force Space Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 5 December 2007

Locations

 * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 1 May 1989 – 31 July 1992
 * Onizuka Air Force Station, California, 22 November 1993 – 13 June 2000

Satellites operated

 * Defense Satellite Communications System III (1993–1995)
 * NATO III (1993–1995)
 * SkyNet IV (1993–1995)
 * Inertial Upper Stage (1993–1995)
 * Tracking and Data Relay Satellite