Space Warfighting Heritage: The Original Space Wings Published Jan. 15, 2026 By John M. Lacomia, FAM/Historian CFS History Office USSF Combat Forces Command Did you know when the United States Air Force established Space Command (future Air Force Space Command) for space operations on September 1st, 1982, Strategic Air Command (SAC) maintained responsibility for all space systems for another nine months? In preparation for system and mission transfers, Space Command leaders activated the 1st Space Wing (SW) on January 1st, 1983, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Envisioned as a “super wing,” to manage space units around the globe, 1 SW gained responsibility for geographically separated unit and equipment support in May 1983, when SAC transferred the early warning and space surveillance mission systems. Those systems included Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) detection and mechanical tracking stations; Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS); Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS); Baker Nunn satellite tracking cameras; Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Surveillance (GEODSS) cameras and Defense Support Program (DSP) infrared-detection satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit, with ground stations in Colorado, Australia, and Europe. Originally, the 1 SW had host-unit responsibility for Peterson Air Force Base, which was the home to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and, after November 1987, to United States Space Command and Air Force Space Command. The wing also provided similar base services support to Cheyenne Mountain and Falcon Air Force Stations, and to Thule and Sondrestrom Air Bases in Greenland. The rapid expansion of space-related activities in the Colorado Springs area in the 1980s led to the activation of the 2d Space Wing and 3d Space Support Wing in 1985 and 1986, respectively. The 2 SW gained responsibility for the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) at Falcon AFS, while the 3 SSW took over host-unit and base services support responsibilities from the 1 SW at Cheyenne Mountain, Falcon AFS and Peterson AFB. The end of the cold war in 1991 led the Air Force to restructure and combine wings at some multi-wing bases. The 1 SW and 3 SSW were inactivated on May 15th, 1992, and leaders combined the mission and functions of the wings to form the 21st Space Wing. The decision preserved the lineage and honors of the 21 SW, which was established as a bomber wing during the early years of the cold war. Likewise, leadership preserved the lineage and honors of the 50th Space Wing (formerly, 50th Tactical Fighter Wing), after inactivating the 2 SW at Falcon AFB in January 1992. The creation of the United States Space Force on December 20th, 2019, led to the inactivation or redesignation of all space wings. A few months after activation, the Space Force elected to reactivate the 1st and 2d Space Wings and redesignate them as Peterson-Schriever Garrison and Buckley Garrison. Less than two years later, the Space Force redesignated the garrisons as Space Base Delta 1 and Space Base Delta 2, reverting back to the original Space Wing numerical designations. Four decades after the space wings initial activation, and recent addition of Space Base Delta 41, Airmen and Guardians continue to deliver weapon-system infrastructure and combat support to bases in Colorado and to over 100 geographically separated locations around the globe. A Baker-Nunn camera at Edwards AFB, CA, circa 1970. (USAF Photo) Three BMEWS AN/FPS-50 Surveillance radars at Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. Circa early 1960s. (USAF Photo)