Onizuka Air Force Station

Onizuka Air Force Station was a military satellite facility in Sunnyvale equipped with three large parabolic dish antennas for communications and tracking operations. The dishes named Sun East, Sun West, and Sun 3 monitored satellite signals for defense purposes.

The Air Force acquired land from Lockheed Corporation in the late 1950s and established Sunnyvale Air Force Station, which began operations in 1960. This early investment in satellite monitoring was part of the Cold War arms race.

The facility was renamed in 1986 to honor astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka, who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The name connects this military site to space exploration and sacrifice.

The base was not open to the public and closed in 2010, with operations transferred to other facilities. Today visitors can see only the location where the station once stood.

The main building, known as the Blue Cube, stood out for its bright blue color and geometric shape. This distinctive structure served as a landmark for decades in the rapidly expanding tech region.

Location: California

Inception: 1960

GPS coordinates: 37.40760,-122.02678

Latest update: December 7, 2025 19:26