President Donald Trump unveiled the logo for the newly formed Space Force on Dec. 24.
“After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
The new logo draws some inspiration from the now defunct Air Force Space Command logo, but social media posts said it looked a lot like the Star Trek logo. George Takei, a star of the original Star Trek series, tweeted “Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this.”
Space Force, created Dec. 20, 2019, with the signing of the Defense Authorization Bill, is the sixth branch of the U.S. military and falls under the auspices of the Department of the Air Force, the same way the U.S. Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy.
Air Force Space Command was redesignated as the U.S. Space Force as an initial step in establishing the service.
Military members that were assigned to AFSPC have now been assigned to the U.S. Space Force but remain Airmen within the U.S. Air Force. Appropriate Air Force space-related personnel will transfer into the Space Force and become Space Force service members in a deliberate manner over the next 18 months. Over time, the Department of Defense vision is to consolidate space missions from across the Armed Forces into the Space Force, as appropriate and consistent with law.
The new, independent U.S. Space Force will maintain and enhance the competitive edge of the DOD in space while adapting to new strategic challenges.
Spacelift operations at the East and West Coast launch bases provide services, facilities and range safety control for the conduct of DOD, NASA and commercial space launches.
Through the command and control of all DOD satellites, satellite operators provide force-multiplying effects — continuous global coverage, low vulnerability and autonomous operations. Satellites provide essential in-theater secure communications, weather and navigational data for ground, air and fleet operations and threat warning.
Ground-based and space-based systems monitor ballistic missile launches around the world to guard against a surprise missile attack on North America. A global network of space surveillance sensors provide vital information on the location of satellites and space debris for the nation and the world. Maintaining space superiority is an emerging capability required to protect U.S. space assets from hostile attacks.