BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Two manlifts recently turned in as excess property to the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services site in Norfolk will now support U.S. Space Force missions in Florida.
Space Launch Delta 45, headquartered at Florida’s Patrick Space Force Base, oversees launch operations for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to Kelly Goonan, chief of command information. Goonan said SLD 45 provides launch tracking and telemetry and coordinates air and sea traffic for the 15-million-square-mile “Eastern Range” along the Atlantic seaboard. Those efforts are vital for national security by enabling rapid access to space, supporting intelligence, reconnaissance, and global communications.
Tong Tang, an electromagnetic spectrum flight chief with 1st Range Operations, said equipment from DLA Disposition Services will allow personnel to perform maintenance on vital fleet spectrum operations surveillance mobile platforms.
Tang said the fleet consists of custom-designed SUVs and Sprinter vans, each equipped with an antenna array and electro-mechanical positioner mounted on top of the vehicle. Some of the equipment weighs up to 120 pounds and can reach a height of 14 feet.
“The Sprinter vans and SUVs are our radio frequency surveillance mobile assets,” Tang said. “These assets are designed and configured to support space launch missions by performing monitoring and protecting the spectrum environment from harmful interferences.”
Tang said funding was unavailable for additional support equipment, so the team turned to DLA for assistance. Excess property turned in to DLA Disposition Services can be acquired at no cost to the command requesting it.
“This was the first time we used DLA Disposition Services, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to acquire future support needs,” he said.