Space force

A space force is a military branch of a nation’s armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world’s first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. However, it lost its independence twice, first absorbed into the Strategic Rocket Forces between 1997 and 2001 and between 2001 and 2011. Then it merged into the Russian Air Force to form the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2015, where it is a sub-branch. As of 2026, there are two independent space forces: the United States Space Force and China’s People’s Liberation Army Aerospace Force.