What altitude defines the area of responsibility for United States Space Command (USSPACECOM)?

What altitude defines the area of responsibility for United States Space Command (USSPACECOM)?

• A. 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles) above mean sea level
• B. 50 kilometers above mean sea level
• C. 200 kilometers above mean sea level
• D. 10 kilometers above mean sea level

Answer: (A)

Think about where space truly begins. USSPACECOM’s area of responsibility starts at the boundary between the atmosphere and space, the point commonly referred to as the start of space (the Kármán line). From that boundary upward, USSPACECOM is responsible for space operations such as space domain awareness, satellite operations, and missile warning. Altitudes below that boundary remain in the atmospheric domain and are managed by other commands, while altitudes well above it aren’t about where space begins for the purposes of defining the space domain.

Think about where space truly begins. USSPACECOM’s area of responsibility starts at the boundary between the atmosphere and space, the point commonly referred to as the start of space (the Kármán line). From that boundary upward, USSPACECOM is responsible for space operations such as space domain awareness, satellite operations, and missile warning. Altitudes below that boundary remain in the atmospheric domain and are managed by other commands, while altitudes well above it aren’t about where space begins for the purposes of defining the space domain.