Overview
- The Space Force, which disclosed the change Monday, stationed Defensive Cyber Operations Squadrons at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg to watch for hacks during launches.
- During countdown and liftoff, the teams track network traffic in real time to spot odd command links or telemetry delays and to tell a technical fault from a cyber intrusion.
- SLD 30 activated the 630th Cyberspace Squadron at Vandenberg on March 10, and SLD 45 received the 645th after its reassignment from Delta 6 in September.
- Officials say modern ranges tie radar, telemetry, flight-termination receivers, fueling controls, and command networks into one web that creates many entry points for attackers who want to deny or disrupt launches.
- Cyber crews working beside launch teams could cut false alarms, speed recovery from glitches, and keep crowded East and West Coast ranges on schedule for national security and commercial missions.