Satellite Industry Association Awards 2024 Leadership in Government Award to the 18th and 19th Space Defense Squadrons

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2024 – The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) today announced that the SIA 2024 Leadership in Government Award was presented to the U.S. Space Force 18th and 19th Space Defense Squadrons (SDS) for their roles in space domain awareness (SDA) and space situational awareness (SSA). The Award announcement took place at SIA’s 25th Anniversary Satellite Industry Leadership Dinner on Monday evening at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

“While some functions of the Squadrons are being shifted to the Department of Commerce, SIA wishes to thank the 18th and 19th Space Defense Squadrons for their past and continued major contributions to the safety of the space environment,” said Tom Stroup, president of the Satellite Industry Association. “SIA is pleased to award this year’s Award to both 18 SDS and 19 SDS. The new space age would not be possible without the role these squadrons have played in supporting commercial and government operators in avoiding collisions in space.”

The 18th SDS executes day-to-day data sharing and support, and acts as the direct interface between satellite operators and the U.S. Department of Defense. They also perform the space surveillance mission for the U.S. Space Force and provide foundational SSA for the U.S. government and global space partners through the Sharing Program. Since 2022, the 19th SDS has performed Conjunction Assessments including launch and on-orbit assessments and collision avoidance functions.

The 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS), a component of Space Delta 2, is the U.S. Space Force’s premier Space Domain Awareness squadron and provides and advances a continuous, comprehensive, and combat-relevant understanding of the space situation. The squadron is located at Vandenberg Space Force Base (SFB), California, and executes command and control of the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) – a global collection of ground and space-based sensors that track all man-made objects in Earth’s orbit.

Located at the Naval Support Facility in Dahlgren, Virginia, the 19th Space Defense Squadron (19 SDS) provides tasking to the Space Surveillance Network, a worldwide network of satellite-tracking radar sensors and optical telescopes. 19th SDS, alongside its sister unit, the 18th Space Defense Squadron, functions as hub for foundational space awareness and is responsible for maintaining custody of man-made objects in orbit, processing space events (launches, reentries, de-orbits, breakups, maneuvers, etc.), and predicting the likelihood of on-orbit collisions. 19th SDS is a geographically separated unit of Space Delta 2-Space Domain Awareness and Space Battle Management, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado.

For a quarter century, the SIA Satellite Industry Leadership Dinner has been held annually during SATELLITE Week in Washington, DC. SIA’s Satellite Leadership in Government Award is presented to an organization or current or former government official or member of Congress, for demonstrating long-term leadership and dedication to public service on issues affecting the satellite industry. The Awards Ceremony and Leadership Dinner is open to SIA Guests, Executive and Associate Members.

About The Satellite Industry Association
SIA is a U.S.-based trade association providing representation of the leading satellite operators, service providers, manufacturers, launch services providers, and ground equipment suppliers. For more than two decades, SIA has advocated on behalf of the U.S. satellite industry on policy, regulatory, and legislative issues affecting the satellite business. For more information, visit www.sia.org.

SIA Executive Members include: Amazon; Comtech; DIRECTV; EchoStar Corporation; Eutelsat Group; HawkEye 360; Intelsat S.A.; Iridium Communications Inc.; Kratos Defense & Security Solutions; Ligado Networks; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Northrop Grumman; Planet Labs PBC; SES Americom, Inc.; Spire Global Inc.; and Viasat Inc. SIA Associate Members include: ABS US Corp.; The Aerospace Corporation; Artel, LLC; AST Space Mobile; Astranis Space Technologies Corp.; The Boeing Company; Eutelsat America Corp.; ExoAnalytic Solutions; Inmarsat, Inc.; Kymeta Corporation; Leonardo; Lynk; Omnispace; Ovzon; Panasonic Avionics Corporation; Skyloom; Telesat and ULA. SIA Affiliate Members include: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP; AvL Technologies; Digital Locations, Inc.; DLA Piper; Genus Group; Globalstar; Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn); Hogan Lovells; Integrasys LLC; Keysight Technologies, Inc.; Media Broadcast Satellite; Orange Business; Orbital Research; Peraton; Plexus Corp; SD Government; Sheppard Mullin; Wiley and XTAR, LLC.

Media and PR Contact: Dean Hirasawa
Satellite Industry Association
Email: dhirasawa@sia.org
Endeavour Communications