Vandenberg receives California Space Authority award Published Nov. 20, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Raymond Hoy 30th Space Wing Public Affairs LOS ANGELES (AFNS) -- Vandenberg Air Force Base received the National Security Space Award from the California Space Authority Nov. 19 at the SpotBeam Awards ceremony here. The award was presented in commemoration of the base's 50th anniversary of operation as an Air Force base. Both Vandenberg AFB and the Air Force have played large parts in the space and missile fields since their inceptions. "The Air Force is very important to the (California Space Authority)," said Andrea Seastrand, the executive director of the CSA. "The Air Force has been in California for so long, and what is being done in California directly affects national security. (CSA) believes the intellectual capital for space is here in California and helps ensure mission success; and that's the bottom line. "Vandenberg AFB is very important," Mrs. Seastrand said. "I know that the sister launch site on the East Coast (Cape Canaveral) gets a lot of credit because of its manned launches, and people sometimes don't realize the importance of Vandenberg's role in national security." Vandenberg AFB officials send unmanned government and commercial satellites into polar orbit, as well as test America's intercontinental ballistic missiles. "It's celebrating 50 years of service to this nation and we are very pleased to know that more missions are coming to Vandenberg," she said. "We see (Vandenberg AFB) playing a bigger role in the defense of this nation, and we hope in the future that we can have a greater celebration with the public as to what Vandenberg means to not only California and the Central Coast, but also to the entire nation." "We maintain constant space situational awareness, ensure the reliability of this nation's ICBMs, provide top-notch spacelift operations, validate missile defense capability, and provide direct support to the warfighter," said Col. David Buck, the 30th Space Wing commander. "It's a great feeling to be recognized by the space community as (Vandenberg AFB) continues to reach new milestones." Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page