The personnel of the US Space Force are trained to protect the nation's interests and assets in space, making them responsible for identifying threats, launching spacecraft for the Department of Defense (DoD) and training troops for potential space conflict.

As the youngest branch of the US armed forces, the US Space Force chose the title "guardian" to represent its personnel -- the counterpart to soldier and airman for the US Army and Air Force, respectively.

In only five years of existence, the Space Force has rapidly recruited about 9,400 active duty guardians.

The service is responsible for organizing, training and equipping its guardians, who then go to the unified combatant commands for operational employment, mainly US Space Command (SPACECOM).

SPACECOM includes smaller numbers of personnel from every other branch of the US Armed Forces and is responsible for coordinating space-related operations for all service branches.

The US Space Force traces its roots back to 1945, when the first US military space programs began shortly after the end of World War II.

Now, the Space Force is the latest vanguard in the US mission to maintain space superiority.

Space assets

The US Space Force consolidates satellite acquisition, budget and workforce from more than 60 different organizations.

It is in charge of command and control of all DoD satellites, providing force multipliers such as continuous global coverage, low vulnerability and autonomous operations.

The systems and capabilities of the Space Force include the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) that provides weather data to the US military and the Defense Support Program (DSP) -- a cornerstone of North America's early warning systems.

It also operates the Satellite Control Network, a network of 19 antennas across the globe that communicate with and control all government operated satellites.

The Space Force also oversees a range of space surveillance programs, including the US Space Surveillance Network (SSN), which detects, tracks, catalogs and identifies artificial objects orbiting Earth.

The SSN, which includes the Space Fence radar system, provides data that are catalogued and tracked by Space Force personnel to ensure free movement in space and identify debris and other risks to critical orbiting satellites.

The Space Force also maintains the advanced X-37B spacecraft, a reusable robotic spacecraft that is designed to operate in low earth orbit, about 240km to 800km above the Earth.

The spacecraft has the ability to stay in orbit for 270 days aided by its advanced avionics, next-generation flight controls and a light composite structure.