Peterson and Schriever space force bases are renovating and growing as the youngest military branch matures.

The Space Force, now in its fourth year, is dedicated to global tasks, such as missile warning, the operation of GPS satellites and ensuring human space flight safety. With two-thirds of the Space Force’s operational capabilities along the Front Range, it packs a huge economic punch.

Just Space Base Delta 1 has an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion, Cmdr. Col. David Hanson said Friday during the annual State of the Base event. The delta provides support services to Peterson and Schriever, six other installations and dozens of geographically separate units, he said.

“Our span starts here in Colorado and traverses the globe,” Hanson said.

The delta employs nearly 97% airmen to support Space Force missions. Those in the Space Force typically fill highly technical roles.

At Peterson and Schriever, Hanson oversees traditional and sometimes challenging base issues such as athletic facilities, housing, child care and proper work space.

The crunch for work space remains on the bases, he said, noting that buildings have been repurposed for new missions and the bases are still in need of additional money to add space. Some guardians and airmen continue to work off base in leased space. For example, Space Training and Readiness Command leases space in the Plaza of the Rockies.

The bases have also been tackling the waitlist for child care, bringing it down from 450 kids just after the pandemic ended to over 200, he said. The bases are home to a pilot program unique across the Department of Defense to pay for child care slots in the community and that’s helped, he said. Parents pay the same reduced-rate for care as they would on base, while community care providers are paid market-rate, he said.

The DOD has dedicated about $970,000 to the program that’s provided 23 off-base child care slots so far. Hanson said he expects the program will expand.

At Schriever, an expansion to triple the square footage of the gym is also underway. The construction is about 15% complete and it is expected to open in late 2025.

“It looks different every single day,” Hanson said of construction progress.

The expansion is expected to include a new gymnasium that will double as a basketball court, an indoor running track, racquetball courts and other exercise rooms, The Gazette reported previously.

Looking forward, one of the major challenges across installations is aging infrastructure, that on average is nearly 50 years old, Hanson said. Front Range installations and geographically separated units face billions of dollars in infrastructure requirements, with budgets that cannot support needed upgrades.

“We must prioritize infrastructure resiliency and resources along with mission systems in order for us to be combat effective,” he said.