Patrick, who retired as the first chief of the Air Corps, Dec. 26, 1950, the Air Force's long-range proving ground base in Cocoa Beach, Florida, was named Patrick Air Force Base in honor of the late Maj. The base was renamed the Long Range Proving Ground Base for three months after a Department of Defense re-delegation of guided missile test centers from joint service commands to separate branches of the military service. The base was renamed the Joint Long Range Proving Ground and became home to Advance Headquarters, JLRPG, and the Air Force Division when it was established Oct. The Navy transferred Banana River Naval Air Station to the Air Force on Sept. 1, 1940, supported seaplane patrols until the installation was inactivated Aug. During the same time period, nearby Banana River Naval Air Station, commissioned Oct. The group's four squadrons went on to serve with the 26th Antisubmarine Wing and other bombardment groups later in World War II. The 45th Bombardment Group (Light) was activated in January 1941 to conduct patrols and search missions off the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts until its deactivation in December 1942. Nonetheless, the unit has a long and distinguished history dating back to the 1940s when what’s now known as the Eastern Range was the home of Army missile testing. On the 45th Space Wing was redesignated as Space Launch Delta 45, the premier launch delta of the new United States Space Force. The History and Heritage of Space Launch Delta 45: Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Soon, two launches a day from the Eastern Range could be a reality! This includes improvements to infrastructure, operations and policies, continuously developing and deploying new technology, and innovating at every level of SLD 45. Space Launch Delta 45 is currently working on increasing its launch posture over the next 10 years through a collection of work called the Range of the Future. In 2020, the 45th Space Wing planned for 230 space launches, went into 59 countdowns, and launched 39 missions. The Navy continues to launch Trident II (D5) Missiles underwater from the OHIO Class of nuclear-propelled TRIDENT submarines. There are also three inactive launch complexes that are reserved for future missions and mission partners Launch Complex 36 for Blue Origin, who is in a contract with Space Florida Launch Complex 17, which is reserved for Moon Express and Launch Complex 39B, owned by NASA, which is undergoing refurbishment for future missions.

There are currently four active launch complexes on the Eastern Range Launch Complex 37 for ULA Delta rockets Launch Complex 40 for SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets Launch Complex 41 for ULA Atlas rockets and Launch Complex 39A, which is owned by NASA. Space Launch Delta 45 and its Eastern Range assets continue to provide a vast network of radar, telemetry and communications instrumentation support to facilitate the safe launch of all Department of Defense National Security Space, National Aeronautics Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, commercial and Naval Ordnance Test Unit’s support to the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs missions. It includes the launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and a network of instrumentation stations, including Malabar and Jonathan Dickinson tracking annexes, and downrange sites. The Eastern Range extends more than 10,000 miles from the Florida mainland through the South Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean. The number “45” proudly signifies the organization’s number, and the prominent gold border represents the foundation and structure the United States Space Force provides to Space Launch Delta 45. The path is left to right to represent prograde departure routes of launch vehicles on the Eastern Range. The small delta’s flight path is red to indicate the stresses of launch during space flight. The globes were adopted from previous emblems and honor the history of Space Launch Delta 45 as a test center for missiles and space vehicles, from which the first humans traveled to and landed on the moon. The border distinguishes the transition from sky to space.

In the lower center of the delta, a large globe represents the Earth, a smaller globe symbolizes the moon, other planets and space travel. The midnight blue and silver grey of the delta represent the edge of Earth’s atmosphere and outer space, the organization’s primary mission area of operations. The gold border represents the gold standard of space acquisition, and the excellence and intelligence required to develop, acquire, and sustain space systems.

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