Peace Garden News

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee and co-chairs the Senate Space Force Caucus, visited Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Dr. Troy Meink. The visit focused on reviewing satellite launches that are intended to provide rapid and responsive capabilities for national defense.

During their time at Vandenberg, Cramer and Meink toured various facilities, including the launch and range infrastructure, the 18th Space Defense Squadron, and the 533rd Training Squadron. Vandenberg’s host unit, Space Launch Delta 30, is responsible for supporting West Coast launch activities for agencies such as the Air Force, Department of Defense, and NASA.

Cramer observed 21 satellites from the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer at a payload processing facility operated by SDA and the National Reconnaissance Office. These satellites are scheduled to be integrated ahead of operations managed from SDA’s Operations Center – North at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Operations Center – South at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.

“The impressive work being done at Vandenberg points back to the excellence of Grand Forks’ space infrastructure,” Cramer said. “SDA’s first Tranche 1 satellites, controlled from Grand Forks Air Force Base, increase the resilience of our nation’s space-based defense and ensure our warfighters have the capabilities they need. This mission paves the way for future integration of cutting-edge satellite technology. I appreciate our military leadership’s keen attention to leading and securing the space domain.”

The first group of T1 Transport satellites is planned for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on September 10, with an additional 105 satellites expected to be launched in 2026.

In August 2024, Cramer was present when operations began at SDA's Operations and Networking Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The center supports Low-Earth Orbit tracking and transport satellite missions. Approval for GFAFB to operate SDA's future satellite mission was granted in September 2021 after advocacy from Cramer for federal space assets to be directed toward North Dakota.

Additionally, in June 2022, Cramer participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony opening SDA’s first Ground Operations and Integration Center. Grand Forks Air Force Base and the City of Grand Forks were chosen as sites to house operations controlling multiple-layer satellite systems for Tranche 1 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The PWSA provides high-speed tactical data transport capabilities while supporting a transition to a multi-orbit missile warning, tracking, and defense system architecture.