The Innovation and Prototyping Directorate is headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, with operating locations at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, and three locations in Colorado; Schriever Air Force Base, Buckley Air Force Base, and Boulder, respectively.

The directorate’s primary mission areas include rapid prototyping development, prototype space operations, worldwide deployable telemetry, tracking, and control, prototyping capability maturation, and executing the Department of Defense Space Test Program.

As a direct report to the Space and Missiles Systems Center, Space Development Corps, the directorate is leading the way on enabling and delivering next-generation space enterprise solutions through rapid, innovative and affordable technology that leverages international, commercial, and interagency partnerships. The main focus is on providing and fielding cutting-edge space capabilities in support of the United States Space Force! 

The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is a new branch of the Armed Forces. It was established on December 20, 2019 with enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and will be stood-up over the next 18 months. The USSF was established within the Department of the Air Force, meaning the Secretary of the Air Force has overall responsibility for the USSF, under the guidance and direction of the Secretary of Defense. Additionally, a four-star general known as the Chief of Space Operations (CSO) serves as the senior military member of the USSF.

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