Patrick Space Force Base

Patrick Space Force Base is a United States Space Force installation situated between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach in Brevard County, Florida. The facility was established in 1940 as Naval Air Station Banana River. During World War II, the U.S. Navy utilized the site for anti-submarine patrols and seaplane training, hosting aircraft such as the PBY Catalina and PBM Mariner. The installation was deactivated in 1947 and transferred to the United States Air Force in 1948. It functioned as the Joint Long Range Proving Ground before being renamed Patrick Air Force Base in 1950 in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. The base was transferred to the U.S. Space Force in December 2020.

Space Launch Delta 45 serves as the host wing and operator of the base. The unit manages uncrewed rocket launches at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and oversees the Eastern Range, supporting Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA, and commercial launch operations. Stationed units include the 920th Rescue Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command organization that provides combat search and rescue capabilities. The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is headquartered at the base and operates a global network of nuclear event detection sensors. Other resident organizations include the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, the 114th Space Control Squadron of the Florida Air National Guard, and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Air Wing.

Infrastructure at the base includes the AFTAC headquarters, a multistory command and control facility that contains a radiochemistry laboratory and a central utility plant. The base hosts squadrons of HC-130J Combat King II and HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft. The Department of State Air Wing maintains a fleet at the installation that includes OV-10 and C-27 aircraft. Operational facilities consist of a medical clinic, dental clinic, and the Malabar Annex located in Palm Bay. Support infrastructure includes dormitories, family housing areas, a commissary, and a base exchange.