17th Test and Evaluation Squadron
The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Space Force unit responsible for testing and evaluating space systems and related support equipment.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Space Force test and evaluation organization based at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. Its role is to assess the operational suitability, effectiveness, and support requirements of space systems and associated equipment before or during their adoption by military users. The squadron is a successor to the 1017th Test and Evaluation Squadron, which was activated at Peterson Air Force Base on 6 April 1990 to conduct Air Staff-directed initial and follow-on operational testing for Air Force Space Command systems. Those early responsibilities covered space surveillance, missile warning, and command-and-control capabilities, with operating locations at Falcon Air Force Base and Buckley Air National Guard Base. The original 1017th organization was inactivated on 15 October 1992. It was redesignated the 17th Test Squadron on 30 June 1995 and reactivated on 21 July 1995 within the Space Warfare Center. At reactivation, the unit established an operating location at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and began with a small staff of slightly more than ten personnel. Its work centered on operational test and evaluation: examining whether fielded or proposed systems could perform their intended missions in realistic conditions and identifying deficiencies, integration issues, and support needs. The squadron subsequently became part of the 595th Test and Evaluation Group, later the 595th Space Group, in 2000. On 1 April 2013 it moved to Air Combat Command under the 53d Wing and its associated test-management structure at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. That assignment connected the unit to the broader Combat Air Forces test enterprise, including work involving electronic warfare, armament, avionics, reconnaissance, chemical defense, and aircrew training devices, while the squadron retained its space-system test mission. A major institutional transition occurred on 7 August 2020, when the unit transferred from the Air Force to the United States Space Force under Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional), Space Operations Command. On 20 August 2021 it moved to Space Training and Readiness Command, became part of Space Delta 12, and received its present designation, the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron. The same period also marked the formal transition of its home installation from Schriever Air Force Base to Schriever Space Force Base. Today, the squadron operates as part of the Space Force's test-and-evaluation structure. It is not a commercial brand, manufacturer, or public company; its identity represents a military unit and its institutional mission. Its principal output is expert evaluation of space capabilities, operational concepts, and supporting systems rather than consumer products. Detachment 1 is located at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. The unit's lineage reflects the continuing adaptation of United States military test organizations as space missions moved from an Air Force-centered structure into the independent Space Force.
History
The unit's lineage begins with the 1017th Test and Evaluation Squadron, activated at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, on 6 April 1990. The 1017th performed Air Staff-directed initial and follow-on operational testing for Air Force Space Command. Its portfolio included space surveillance, missile warning, and command-and-control systems, and it maintained operating locations at Falcon Air Force Base and Buckley Air National Guard Base. The organization was inactivated on 15 October 1992. The unit returned on 21 July 1995 as the 17th Test Squadron after being redesignated on 30 June. It was established within the Space Warfare Center, with an operating location at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. A formal stand-up ceremony accompanied the reactivation, and Lieutenant Colonel Carl L. Cox became its first commander in the reactivated period. The squadron initially had slightly more than ten personnel, reflecting its specialized testing role. On 7 April 2000, the organization entered the 595th Test and Evaluation Group, later known as the 595th Space Group. Its stationing evolved from Falcon Air Force Base, which became Schriever Air Force Base, to the Schriever installation permanently in June 1998. In 2013, the squadron moved into an Air Combat Command structure under the 53d Wing and the 53d Test Management Group at Eglin Air Force Base. Although the parent command had a broad Combat Air Forces test portfolio, the squadron continued to provide space-related operational test and evaluation. The next major change followed the creation of the United States Space Force. On 7 August 2020, the squadron transferred to Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional), Space Operations Command. On 20 August 2021, it was reassigned to Space Training and Readiness Command, placed under Space Delta 12, and redesignated the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron. Its station was renamed Schriever Space Force Base on 26 July 2021. Detachment 1 is located at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. Across these organizational changes, the central mission has remained the operational assessment of space systems and related support equipment. The squadron's work supports decisions about whether systems can meet mission requirements, operate effectively in realistic environments, and be sustained by their intended users. Its history therefore reflects both continuity in the United States military's space-testing function and the transfer of that function from Air Force Space Command and later Air Combat Command into the Space Force.
- 2021
Received its current designation
[1]The squadron joined Space Delta 12 under Space Training and Readiness Command and became the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron.
- 2020
Transferred to the Space Force
[1]The unit entered the Space Force under Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional), Space Operations Command.
- 2013
Transferred to Air Combat Command
[1]The squadron moved under the 53d Wing and its test-management organization at Eglin Air Force Base.
- 2000
Assigned to the 595th Test and Evaluation Group
[1]The squadron entered the 595th test-and-evaluation organizational structure.
- 1995
17th Test Squadron reactivated
[1]The unit was redesignated and reactivated within the Space Warfare Center.
- 1992
Predecessor unit inactivated
[1]The 1017th Test and Evaluation Squadron was inactivated on 15 October.
- 1990
1017th Test and Evaluation Squadron activated
[1]The predecessor unit was activated at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, to conduct operational testing of Air Force Space Command systems.
Products and positioning
A United States Space Force operational test and evaluation unit focused on assessing space systems and associated support equipment for military use.
Brand decisions
2021
Assignment to Space Delta 12 and redesignationStrategyBackground
The Space Force continued refining its internal structure for testing, training, and readiness missions.
Action taken
On 20 August 2021, the squadron was reassigned to Space Training and Readiness Command, assigned to Space Delta 12, and redesignated the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron.
Aftermath
The change established the unit's present organizational identity and chain of assignment.
2020
Transition into the United States Space ForceStrategyBackground
The creation of the Space Force required the reassignment of Air Force space organizations and missions into the new service.
Action taken
The squadron transferred on 7 August 2020 to Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional) under Space Operations Command.
Aftermath
The transfer positioned the unit within the Space Force's emerging training and readiness structure and preceded its later assignment to Space Delta 12.
Recent events
- 2021
Squadron redesignated as the 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron[1]
Leadership change · Other
The unit was assigned to Space Delta 12 under Space Training and Readiness Command and received its current designation.
- 2020
Unit transferred to the United States Space Force[1]
Leadership change · Other
The 17th Test Squadron transferred from its Air Force organizational structure to Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional) under Space Operations Command.
Sources2 sources
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