Pituffik Space Base (Thule Air Base)

Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, is a United States Space Force installation located on the northwest coast of Greenland in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the northernmost Department of Defense installation. The base was constructed between 1951 and 1953 under the code name Operation Blue Jay, following the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement between the United States and Denmark. Originally a Strategic Air Command installation, it operated as a dispersal base for B-36, B-47, and B-52 bombers. The installation transitioned to Air Force Space Command in 1982, formally transferred to the United States Space Force in 2020, and was renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023.

The 821st Space Base Group, a unit of Space Base Delta 1, manages base operations and support. The installation hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron (Space Delta 4), which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) to detect and track intercontinental ballistic missiles launched against North America. It also hosts Detachment 1 of the 23rd Space Operations Squadron (Space Delta 6), operating as part of the global satellite control network. Missile warning and space surveillance data from the site flows to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and joint partners.

Base infrastructure consists of missile warning, space surveillance, and space control sensors. The site encompasses an airfield handling US and international flights and a deep-water port in North Star Bay. Port facilities utilize a United States Air Force tugboat to escort vessels and clear icebergs during summer supply operations. The installation also operates the Thule Tracking Station, functioning as a Remote Tracking Station for the Satellite Control Network.