3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron

The 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron, abbreviated 3 TES, is a United States Space Force unit based at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado. It is the current designation of a squadron whose lineage began with the 3rd Surveillance Squadron in 1990 and later included the names 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron and 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron. The unit is therefore best understood as a military organization rather than a commercial brand, although the supplied record uses a brand-encyclopedia format. The squadron was initially constituted on August 10, 1990, as the 3rd Surveillance Squadron. Preparatory work for its activation began in Japan, where Detachment 3 of the 73rd Space Group undertook construction and site preparation for the unit’s planned installation at Misawa Air Base. The facility, identified by the project name RINGO, included antennas, operations and support buildings, a pump housing, and an entry-control point. The squadron became operational at Misawa on October 1, 1992, after being redesignated the 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron. From 1992 until its inactivation in 2002, the squadron operated passive sensors associated with the Deep Space Tracking System. The system monitored objects in high Earth orbits, including satellites and other artificial objects located more than 22,300 miles above Earth. Data gathered by the squadron was passed to command-and-control organizations for cataloging, identification, collision-avoidance support, and other space-control and intelligence-related uses. The system reached initial operating capability in April 1994. A detachment was also associated with Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea. The unit was inactivated on February 20, 2002, after its surveillance mission at Misawa ended. The Air Force later revived the lineage for a substantially different mission. On February 16, 2006, it was redesignated the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron and activated on March 10, 2006, at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. In this phase, the squadron focused on space-based demonstrations, pathfinder activities, experimentation, and the development of operational concepts for future Air Force Space Command missions. Its responsibilities included identifying employment concepts, training and education requirements, technical skill sets, and lessons that could support the fielding of future capabilities. The squadron’s organizational affiliations changed several times. It served under the 595th Space Group, the 50th Operations Group, the 750th Operations Group, and STAR Delta-P before transferring to Space Delta 12. On August 23, 2021, Space Training and Readiness Command directed another redesignation, this time to the 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron, effective August 27, 2021. Under Space Delta 12, the unit’s current role centers on testing and evaluating space capabilities and supporting the broader United States Space Force effort to prepare systems and personnel for operational employment. The squadron has received multiple Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for periods spanning the late 1990s and early 2000s. Its documented commanders include officers who led the unit during both its Misawa surveillance period and its later experimentation and test-and-evaluation period. As an active Space Force unit, it does not sell consumer products, operate in commercial markets, or publish financial results. Its principal organizational outputs are military testing, experimentation, technical assessment, operational demonstrations, and institutional knowledge for space forces.

The unit’s lineage was established when the 3rd Surveillance Squadron was constituted on August 10, 1990. Although it was not activated immediately, preparatory activity began in Japan. Detachment 3 of the 73rd Space Group was activated in January 1991 to supervise construction and site preparation at Misawa Air Base. The resulting installation, known by the project name RINGO, included two antennas, an operations building, a support building, a pump facility, and an entry-control point. The squadron was redesignated the 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron and activated on October 1, 1992, at Misawa. It was assigned to the 73rd Space Group and operated passive sensors for the Deep Space Tracking System. The system was designed to observe objects in deep or high Earth orbit, including satellites and other artificial objects more than 22,300 miles above Earth. The squadron forwarded collected information to command-and-control organizations, which used it to maintain catalogs, identify objects, support collision avoidance, and contribute to intelligence and space-control activities. The Deep Space Tracking System achieved initial operating capability in April 1994. The unit’s assignments changed from the 73rd Space Group to the 21st Operations Group in 1995. It was inactivated on February 20, 2002. The lineage was revived in 2006 when the Air Force redesignated the organization as the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron. It was activated on March 10, 2006, at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The revived squadron no longer centered on the former Misawa surveillance mission. Instead, it served as a vehicle for space-based demonstrations, pathfinder activities, experimentation, and the development of concepts, training requirements, education, and technical expertise needed for future space missions. During its experimentation era, the squadron was assigned to the 595th Space Group, the 50th Operations Group, the 750th Operations Group, and STAR Delta-P. These changes reflected wider reorganizations of United States military space organizations. On August 23, 2021, Space Training and Readiness Command ordered the unit redesignated as the 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron, effective August 27. It was then placed under Space Delta 12, where it continues as a Space Force test and evaluation unit at Schriever Space Force Base. The squadron’s documented history also includes a period of repeated recognition through the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The cited award periods cover much of the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, during the unit’s surveillance phase. Its leadership record includes commanders from both the Misawa and Schriever periods, culminating in Lieutenant Colonel David Heinz, identified as commander from 2023.

• 2021

  Redesignated as the 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  Space Training and Readiness Command directed the current redesignation, effective August 27, 2021.

• 2006

  Reactivated as the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was reconstituted as the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron and activated at Schriever Air Force Base on March 10, 2006.

• 2002

  Misawa surveillance unit inactivated

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  The squadron was inactivated on February 20, 2002, ending its first operational period.

• 1994

  Deep Space Tracking System reaches initial operating capability

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  The squadron’s Deep Space Tracking System achieved initial operating capability in April 1994.

• 1992

  Activated as the 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was redesignated and activated at Misawa Air Base on October 1, 1992.

• 1991

  Misawa construction preparation begins

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  Detachment 3 of the 73rd Space Group began preparing the Misawa Air Base site for the future squadron.

• 1990

  Squadron constituted

  [1]3rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was constituted as the 3rd Surveillance Squadron on August 10, 1990.

A United States Space Force test, evaluation, and experimentation organization supporting the transition of space capabilities from demonstration and assessment toward operational use.

• Space surveillance system · 1992

  Deep Space Tracking System

  A passive-sensor system operated by the squadron during its 1992–2002 surveillance period. It observed artificial objects in high Earth orbits and supplied tracking information to command-and-control organizations for cataloging, identification, collision avoidance, intelligence, and space-control purposes.

• Military space capability assessment · 2021

  Space-system test and evaluation

  The squadron’s current organizational output consists of testing and evaluating space capabilities, supporting operational assessments, and helping determine whether systems and concepts are ready for military use.

• 2021

  Conversion to a test and evaluation missionGeneration change

  Background

  The creation and expansion of the United States Space Force and its Space Training and Readiness Command led to changes in space-force organizational responsibilities.

  Action taken

  The unit was redesignated the 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron effective August 27, 2021, and assigned to Space Delta 12.

  Aftermath

  The current squadron focuses on testing and evaluating space capabilities within the Space Force structure.

  Source

• 2006

  Shift from surveillance to space experimentationStrategy

  Background

  After the surveillance squadron was inactivated in 2002, the Air Force revived the lineage for a new mission at Schriever Air Force Base.

  Action taken

  The organization was redesignated the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron and activated on March 10, 2006, to conduct demonstrations, pathfinder work, experimentation, and future-mission development.

  Aftermath

  The unit became an Air Force space-innovation and experimentation organization rather than a Misawa-based deep-space surveillance squadron.

  Source

1. 13rd Test and Evaluation Squadronen.wikipedia.org
2. 23rd Space Experimentation Squadron fact sheetschriever.spaceforce.mil