The SMC Heritage Center is the adjunct branch of the US Air Force Museum at the Space and Missile Systems Center on Los Angeles Air Force Base.
The SMC Heritage Center is an adjunct Air Force History Office Museum documenting the history of military space developments in the Los Angeles area mostly since 1954, when the mission to design the first ICBMs was given to the Air Force.
The SMC Heritage Center Mission is to collect, preserve and provide information about the programs, accomplishments, and heritage of the Space and Missile Systems center and the space missions of the United States Air Force.
The Space and Missile Systems Center is responsible for managing cutting-edge space
systems across their entire lifecycle, from
initial systems concepts and technology
development, to systems demonstration and validation, full-scale development and fielding, & sustaining on orbit and ground capabilities.
The Center is responsible for a comprehensive set of military space capabilities across all space mission areas, including force enhancement, space superiority, force projection, and space support. The Center develops and maintains a full range of systems and technical expertise including satellites, payloads, launch vehicles, missiles, ground
control systems, user equipment, and ground sensors. These systems provide capabilities such as communications, precision navigation and timing, space lift, space situational awareness, missile warning, missile defense, weather monitoring, satellite command and control, and land-based nuclear deterrence. By
executing these comprehensive mission and lifecycle responsibilities for space and missile systems, SMC provides Air Force Space Command, the joint warfighter, and the nation with unrivaled capabilities twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year. SMC's historical roots go back to the earliest stages of space and
missile development in 1954. SMC and its ancestors developed most of the nation's military space systems and land-based strategic
missiles. Its space systems were often used by civilian agencies and commercial entities as well. Its material heritage, therefore, is of
national and even international significance.
The mission of SMC's Heritage Center is to help the Center's personnel and visitors understand
its history, including its material heritage, achievements, and challenges. As of October 2014, the non-profit, incorporated SMC Heritage Foundation was created. See below for more information on the Foundation website.
