President Donald Trump on Jan. 24 unveiled the first official Space Force seal, an early step in the new service’s attempt to craft its own culture.
The seal features an arrowhead symbol over a globe, encircled by a stylized design of an orbit around the Earth. Twenty-two stars adorn the black background, and along the bottom runs year 2019 in Roman numerals: “MMXIX.”
“The U.S. Space Force seal honors the Department of the Air Force’s proud history and long-standing record of providing the best space capabilities in the world,” USAF spokesman Maj. Will Russell said. “The delta symbol, the central design element in the seal, was first used as early as 1942 by the U.S. Army Air Forces; and was used in early Air Force space organization emblems dating back to 1961. Since then, the delta symbol has been a prominent feature in military space community emblems.”
But Twitter users were quick to point out the image is nearly identical to the Starfleet logo in “Star Trek,” which uses the arrowhead on everything from uniforms to command imagery. The design is another example of science fiction intertwining with military reality: Trek creator Gene Roddenberry served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, leaving as a captain in 1945.
US Space Command’s seal also features a globe with criss-crossing orbits, a bald eagle, and stars.
The Space Force on Jan. 17 also tweeted a photo of its boss, Gen. Jay Raymond, in a camouflage uniform bearing a “U.S. Space Force” nametape, the US Space Command seal, and a full-color American flag patch.
Quelle: USAF
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Space Force logo unveiled by President Trump has a familiar look
President Donald Trump unveiled the logo for the new Space Force on Twitter Friday. And for Colorado Springs residents, it will seem familiar.
The logo is basically a slightly different version of the one Air Force Space Command has been using for decades, complete with the pointy silver spaceship in the middle.
"After consultation with our great military leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the sixth branch of our magnificent military!" Trump wrote.
Legislation passed by Congress in December created the new service by renaming Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs and giving its leader, Gen. Jay Raymond, a seat on the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Pentagon's new U.S. Space Force logo (left) looks similar to Star Trek's Starfleet Command logo (right). It's also similar in design to that of Air Force Space Command logo.
Like the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Navy, the Space Force falls under the Air Force department, with the Air Force providing logistics, security and other support to its new sibling.
The logo of the new service incorporates much of the old logo, designed when Air Force Space Command was formed in 1982.
Hidden gems in the logo include a representation of the North Star. As the only star that doesn't move in the night sky, it is used as a symbol of integrity and character.
Air Force Academy graduates know the star's symbolism from its use throughout the school, from cadet rank insignia to Polaris Hall, which houses the academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development.
The academy will also serve as a training ground for future Space Force officers.
In the background of the logo is a representation of the globe, which symbolizes the new service's global mission along with a swooping representation of an orbiting spacecraft, showing how Space Force has a role that extends above the planet.
It's not a surprise that Trump unveiled the logo himself. Space Force has been a talking point for the president on the campaign trail, and Trump has taken a personal interest in military space programs that hasn't been seen in the White House since President Ronald Reagan pursued an orbiting missile defense system dubbed "Star Wars" by the media and lawmakers.
While the new service will have a headquarters in the Pentagon, most of its troops will live and work in Colorado, home of Schriever, Peterson and Buckley Air Force bases, which each have significant space missions.
The service will answer to U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs for its wartime duties. That command, temporarily housed here after it was formed in 2019, has a similar logo, which features two swooshing orbits represented over the globe.
The Pentagon hasn't announced its pick for the command's permanent home, but its logo may offer a hint of where its troops want to live. The two orbits shown on the logo cross directly above Colorado Springs.
