Space Force has identified a hiker whose body was found on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park as a guardian based out of Schriever Space Force Base.

Lucas Macaj, 23, was summiting Longs Peak via the Keyhole route and was last heard from around 1 p.m. Sunday, when he texted a friend saying that he was on the summit.

His body was recovered Thursday via helicopter, according to a release from Rocky Mountain National Park Service. He was found on Mills Glacier, near the base of the Lamb’s Slide couloir, on the eastern face of Longs Peak.

An initial investigation completed by park rangers “indicates he took a significant fall,” the release said.

The release said significant storms had hit higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park Sunday afternoon.

According to the National Park Service website, the popular Keyhole Route to the summit of Longs Peak is not a hike,  but a climb “that crosses enormous sheer vertical rock faces, often with falling rocks, requiring scrambling, where an unroped fall would likely be fatal. The route has narrow ledges, loose rock and steep cliffs.”

The route is a “summer scramble” in warmer months, but should be treated as a winter mountaineering route in the colder months, according to the National Parks Service website.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will release the official cause of death of Macaj.

A statement from Space Force on Friday said that Macaj was a space operator for the 8th Combat Training Squadron, part of Space Delta 8.

“Space Delta 8 is a family and we have lost one of our own,” said Col. David A. Pheasant, Space Delta 8 commander. “I extend my deepest personal condolences to family, friends and teammates who will be grieving through their loss. We will make every effort to ensure those within our team grieving this loss have full access to the trained helping agencies available.”

According to the release, Macaj transferred to Space Force in 2023 from the U.S. Marine Corps.