Peterson Space Force Base
Peterson Space Force Base (ICAO KCOS) is an active joint civil-military airfield in Colorado, United States, operated by the US Space Force. It has 3 runways (longest 4,115 m). Home to Space Base Delta 1, the 21st Medical Group, the 21st Mission Support Group, Space Operations Command and 43 other units, flying C-130 Hercules.
Facility Details
| Operating Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Location | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Status | Active |
| Usage | Dual |
| Year built | 1942 |
| Operating Organization | US Space Force |
| Units & aircraft |
Space Base Delta 121st Medical Group21st Mission Support GroupSpace Operations CommandSpace Systems CommandUS Army Space & Missile Defense Command / Army Forces Strategic Command1st Space Brigade1st Space Battalion2nd Space Battalion53rd Signal Battalion (Satellite Control)Regional SATCOM Support Center WestNorth American Aerospace Defense CommandUnited States Northern CommandSixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber)690th Cyberspace Operations Group561st Network Operations SquadronEighteenth Air Force19th Airlift Wing19th Operations Group52nd Airlift Squadron · C-130 HerculesTenth Air Force310th Space Wing710th Operations Group380th Space Control Squadron428th Electromagnetic Warfare FlightTwenty-Second Air Force302nd Airlift Wing302nd Operations Group34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron302nd Operations Support Squadron731st Airlift Squadron302nd Maintenance Group302nd Maintenance Squadron302nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron302nd Mission Support Group39th Aerial Port Squadron302nd Civil Engineer Squadron302nd Communications Flight302nd Force Support Squadron302nd Logistics Readiness Squadron302nd Security Forces Squadron302nd Aeromedical Staging SquadronColorado Air National Guard140th Wing140th Operations Group138th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron200th Airlift Squadron
|
| Coordinates | 38.8236°N, -104.6950°E |
| Elevation | 1,885 m (6,184 ft) |
| IATA code | COS |
| ICAO code | KCOS |
| Runways |
17L/35R · 4,115 m (13,501 ft) · Concrete17R/35L · 3,360 m (11,024 ft) · Asphalt13/31 · 2,521 m (8,271 ft) · Asphalt
|
| Website | www.peterson.spaceforce.mil/ |
Space Base Delta 1
21st Medical Group
561st Network Operations Squadron
Eighteenth Air Force
19th Airlift Wing
52nd Airlift Squadron
Tenth Air Force
310th Space Wing
380th Space Control Squadron
Twenty-Second Air Force
34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
731st Airlift Squadron
39th Aerial Port Squadron
302nd Civil Engineer Squadron
140th Wing
140th Operations Group
200th Airlift Squadron
34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron — Common (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Description
Peterson Space Force Base is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, sharing an airfield with the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. Established in 1942 as the Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, the site was developed as an air support facility for Camp Carson. The installation was renamed Peterson Field in December 1942 and hosted the Photographic Reconnaissance Operational Training Unit. During World War II, the base hosted heavy bombardment units operating B-24 and B-29 aircraft and conducted fighter pilot training with P-40N aircraft.
The base was inactivated in 1945 and returned to municipal control in 1946 before reactivating in 1951 as an installation of Ent Air Force Base. It supported air defense operations for the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and Ent Air Force Base throughout the Cold War. In 1975, the facility was designated Peterson Air Force Base. It served as the headquarters for Air Force Space Command from 1987 until the transition of the command to the U.S. Space Force in 2019. The installation was renamed Peterson Space Force Base on July 26, 2021.
The base is operated by the United States Space Force and is the garrison for Space Base Delta 1. It serves as the headquarters for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), and Space Operations Command (SpOC). Units stationed at the base include Space Deltas 2, 3, and 7, alongside elements of Space Systems Command. The base also hosts the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the 310th Space Wing. Flying units include the 302nd Airlift Wing and the 52nd Airlift Squadron, which operate C-130H Hercules aircraft, and the 200th Airlift Squadron, which operates C-21A Learjet aircraft.
Infrastructure includes the Hartinger Building, which houses the headquarters for SpOC and United States Space Command, and the Eberhart-Findley Building, which serves as the headquarters for NORAD and USNORTHCOM. The base maintains the Peterson Air and Space Museum within the original 1941 airfield terminal and the 76th Space Control Facility. Several World War II-era structures remain in use, including maintenance hangars, supply warehouses, and the Broadmoor hangar.
- AUG 142026 Updated Based aircraft recorded: C-130 Hercules
- AUG 132026 Updated Runway designations, surfaces and lengths recorded
- APR 112026 Updated Description updated in a site-wide editorial pass
- JAN 122026 Updated Sources and cross-references refreshed
- JUL 12025 Updated Airbase data reviewed and updated