Buckley Space Force Base

Buckley Space Force Base, located in Aurora, Colorado, is a United States Space Force installation. It was established in 1938 by the United States Army Air Corps as Demolition Bombing Range–Lowry Auxiliary Field, serving as a bombing range, auxiliary landing field, and ammunition depot. Renamed Buckley Field in 1941, it functioned as a technical training school during World War II, graduating over 52,000 armament students, 4,500 arctic survival students, and 37,000 basic trainees. In 1947, it transitioned to Naval Air Station Denver, serving as a reserve air station for the U.S. Navy until 1960, when it became Buckley Air National Guard Base. The base began its space mission in 1969 with the development of the Defense Support Program ground station. It was redesignated Buckley Air Force Base in 2000 under Air Force Space Command, and assumed its current name, Buckley Space Force Base, in 2021.

The base is currently operated by the United States Space Force and controlled by Space Operations Command. Its main units include Space Base Delta 2, which is responsible for base administration and support, and Space Delta 4, the U.S. Space Force's missile warning delta, which operates the Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System constellations. Other significant occupants include the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing, which flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon, the National Reconnaissance Office's Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado, the Air Reserve Personnel Center, Navy Operational Support Center–Denver, and various U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard units. The base features a single runway, 14/32, with a length of 3,354.7 meters and a PEM surface.