Air Force Space Command officials said that technicians had powered down the equipment for Satellite Operations Center-52 at Onizuka AFS, Calif. SOC-52 had provided 36 years of 24-hour space support. The SOC-52’s final mission took place on Feb. 14, 2004, when its personnel placed the next-to-last Defense Support Program satellite into a perfect geosynchronous orbit, said officials. Onizuka itself is slated to close under the 2005 BRAC recommendations.
The Air Force is planning to retain some F-15C/D Eagles, among its oldest fighters, to perform the homeland defense mission at least four more years, the service revealed in a “Long-Term Fighter Force Structure” report submitted to lawmakers earlier this year.
