Draft:98th Space Range Squadron

The 98th Space Range Squadron is a squadron of the United States Space Force. It is assigned to the Space Delta 11 at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. The 98th operates the National Space Test and Training Complex' (NSTTC) Orbital Range.

Mission
Provides and operates a safe, secure, operationally-representative live on-orbit environment to develop credible weapon systems and capable, lethal, agile, and resilient Joint warfighters. The Orbital Warfare Range of the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC) provides operational environment presentation, dedicated space domain awareness, Time Space Position Information (TSPI) data, safety of flight, security, and range control in support of USSF test, training, and experimentation activities.

The 98th Space Range Squadron provides the capability and supervision for orbital warfare units to conduct safe, secure, and realistic test and training.

Space Force
As the Space Force developed a vision for future range operations, the need for an orbital warfare range became immediately apparent. At the time the Service’s only range squadron was the 25th Space Range Squadron, responsible for electronic warfare range operations. The 25th was tasked to support the development of an orbital warfare range minimum viable product (MVP) and activated Detachment 1 for that purpose.

On 11 July, 2022, 25 SRS/Det1 was deactivated and the 98th Space Range Squadron was activated at a ceremony on Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. In 2023, the Department of the Air Force anounced it's preferred permanent base for Space Detla 11 and it's new squadrons (not including squadrons that pre-dated creation of the Space Force) was Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. The transition is expected to begin in 2024.

The 98th is named in homage to the 98th Range Wing, which operated the famous Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) from 2001 through 2011, though it does not share an official lineage. The heritage of the 98 RANW lives on in the NTTR, a direct reporting unit to the United States Air Force Warfare Center.

One early achievement was the use of the TETRA-1 mission to "perform maneuvers dedicated solely to a live on-orbit training campaign, known as 'Scarlet Star'."

98th Space Range Squadron

 * Activated on 11 July 2022

Assignments

 * Space Delta 11, 11 Jul 2022 – present

Stations

 * Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, 11 July 2022 – present

Spacecraft and Space System

 * Highly mobile Autonomous Rapidly Relocatable Integrated Electro-optical Resources (HARRIER)
 * TETRA-1

Notable personnel

 * Lt Col Bejcek, first commander.

List of commanders

 * Lt Col Matt Bejcek, July 2022 – present