Cape Cod Air Force Station

Cape Cod Air Force Station is a U.S. Air Force station located in the northwest corner of Joint Base Cape Cod, United States, on Flatrock Hill in Massachusetts. It is administratively part of the Buckley Garrison.[1]

Cape Cod Air Force Station
Part of Joint Base Cape Cod
Near Sagamore, Massachusetts in the United States
Aerial view of Cape Cod Air Force Station during the mid-1980s
Cape Cod AFS
Location in the United States
Coordinates41°45′12″N 70°32′19″W
TypeUS Air Force Station
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUnited States Space Force
Controlled byBuckley Garrison
ConditionOperational
Radar typeAN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS (Phased Array Warning System)
Site history
Built1976 (1976)–1980
In use1980 – present
Garrison information
Occupants6th Space Warning Squadron

Construction began on Oct. 26, 1976. The facility became fully operational April 4, 1980, as Cape Cod Missile Early Warning Station, but was renamed Cape Cod Air Force Station on January 5, 1982.[2]

The facility became home to the 6th Space Warning Squadron after the closure of the North Truro Air Force Station in North Truro, Massachusetts.

Jointly staffed by US and Canadian servicemembers, as well as contractors from BAE Systems, the facility is currently transitioning from Air Force control to the U.S. Space Force.[3] The 6th Space Warning Squadron is a Geographically Separate Unit, which although based on Cape Cod, is subordinate to Space Delta 4 based at Buckley AFB in Colorado.[4]

Mission
See also: PAVE PAWS
PAVE PAWS and BMEWS coverage

The facility's primary mission is controlling and maintaining the Raytheon AN/FPS-123 PAVE PAWS installation to track space debris, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Its secondary mission is tracking Earth-orbiting objects such as the International Space Station, any object that deviates from its known orbit, or any new orbiting objects. It was previously tasked with tracking the spy satellite USA-193 before it was shot down, as well as many Space Shuttle missions.

Units

Units based at Cape Cod Air Force Station.[4]

United States Space Force

Space Operations Command (SpOC)

  • Radar screen for the PAVE PAWS at Cape Cod AFS, 1986.
  • Computer room for PAVE PAWS at Cape Cod AFS, 1986. Note the four large hard disk units in the foreground.
  • The entrance to the station

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. https://www.buckley.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2287167/us-space-force-establishes-new-garrisons/
  2. United States Air Force. 6th Space Warning Squadron fact sheet Archived March 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed January 1, 2008.
  3. "An Overview of Joint Base Cape Cod". www.massnationalguard.org. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  4. "Fact Sheet – Space Delta 4 - Missile Warning". Buckley Air Force Base. US Space Force. July 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
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