30th Space Wing [30th SW]

The 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, is the Air Force Space Command organization responsible for all Department of Defense space and missile launch activities on the West Coast. All U.S. satellites destined for near polar orbit are launched from Vandenberg.

Operating on an annual budget of $192.2 million, the wing's forces deliver aerospace superiority by conducting spacelift operations, operating the Western Range in support of aerospace missions and delivering host-base support.

The wing supports West Coast launch activities for the Air Force, Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and various private industry contractors. The wing launches a variety of expendable vehicles including the Delta II, Pegasus, Taurus, Atlas, Titan II and Titan IV. The wing also supports Force Development and Evaluation of all intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The 30th SW is home to the Western Range and manages Department of Defense space and missile testing, and placing satellites into near-polar orbit from the West Coast, using expendable boosters (Delta II, Atlas, Titan II and Titan IV.) Wing personnel also support the Service's Minuteman III and Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation Launch program. The Western Range begins at the coastal boundaries of Vandenberg and extends westward from the California coast to the western Pacific including sites in Hawaii. Operations there involve dozens of federal and commercial interests.

The Western Range, is operated and maintained by the 30th Range Squadron. It is a vast tracking, telemetry and command complex whose boundary begins along Vandenberg's California coastline and extends westward across the Pacific Ocean. The range consists of electronic and optical tracking systems located along the Pacific Coast that collect and process launch-related data for a variety of users.

The space wing is composed of four groups that report to the wing commander. Those groups include the 30th Operations Group, 30th Logistics Group, 30th Medical Group and 30th Support Group. The wing commander's staff is made up of agencies that include safety, public affairs, manpower, plans and others.v The 2nd Space Launch Squadron is responsible for all space lift operations.

The 30th Support Group provides support services to Air Force Space Command's largest base. Vandenberg covers 98,500 acres, has more than 2,000 family housing units and approximately 3,000 buildings providing support to more than 18,000 people (military members and their families, retirees, civilians and contractors). The support group provides security police; civil engineering; services and personnel support.

The 30th Medical Group provides medical, dental, bio-environmental and public health services for people assigned to Vandenberg Air Force Base, their families and retirees in the local area.

The 30th Logistics Group provides supply, contracting, communication and transportation support for the 30th Space Wing launch mission. The group's 30th Transportation Squadron operates a fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles and the 30th Contracting Squadron handles approximately $260 million in new contracting starts annually with more than $55 million of that amount in construction.