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Government institution · Colorado Springs · United States

U.S. Air Force Space Command

In research, U.S. Air Force Space Command stands highest in Physical Sciences (#11,571 of 21,541 worldwide) and Engineering (#8,816 of 11,412 worldwide), over all time.

afspc.af.milROR OpenAlex
World rank, all time
#16,522
of 42,892
Rank in United States
#3,596
of 8,685
Research works
390
▼ 24% vs 2013–17
Citations
3.6k
9.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
17.6%
record average 16.5%
Open access
20%
world 28%

What is U.S. Air Force Space Command known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physical SciencesDomain #11,571 of 21,541 17.3%286
EngineeringField #8,816 of 11,412 18.7%161

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where U.S. Air Force Space Command sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.12× its world share, 0 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Neuroscience: 0.10× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 0.75× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.17× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.98× its world share, 3 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.22× its world share, 0 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.29× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 2.78× its world share, 18 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.41× its world share, 1 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.23× its world share, 0 worksMaterials SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 5.94× its world share, 6 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.54× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.84× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.43× its world share, 4 worksMedicineBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.37× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.75× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.60× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.31× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.19× its world share, 6 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 5.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at U.S. Air Force Space Command?

Ranked on the composite score, Bruce R. Bowman, John H. Manley and B. Bowman lead among researchers whose main affiliation is U.S. Air Force Space Command.

  1. 1 Bruce R. Bowman United States · #405,582 worldwide 71 citations · 25 works
  2. 2 John H. Manley United States · #838,618 worldwide 12 citations · 18 works
  3. 3 B. Bowman United States · #1,010,789 worldwide 53 citations · 19 works
All ranked researchers at U.S. Air Force Space Command

Which keywords describe research at U.S. Air Force Space Command?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: CubeSat, small satellite, International Law, Space Policy, Space Tourism, Diplomacy, Orbit Determination and On-Orbit Servicing.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 34 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 34 words, with their numbers
  1. CubeSat3▲ 429×1 topic
  2. small satellite3▲ 429×1 topic
  3. International Law3▲ 23×4 topics
  4. Machine Learning3▲ 2.0×6 topics
  5. Space Policy3▲ 427×1 topic
  6. Space Tourism3▲ 427×1 topic
  7. Deep Learning2▲ 1.72×8 topics
  8. Artificial Intelligence2▲ 3.4×3 topics
  9. Diplomacy2▲ 50×2 topics
  10. Globalization2▲ 2.4×3 topics
  11. Orbit Determination2▲ 110×2 topics
  12. Neural Networks2▲ 2.9×5 topics
  13. On-Orbit Servicing2▲ 210×1 topic
  14. Space Debris2▲ 210×1 topic
  15. Global Governance2▲ 16×3 topics
  16. Detection2▲ 12×2 topics
  17. Big Data1▲ 3.5×2 topics
  18. High-Speed Imaging1▲ 43×2 topics
  19. Risk Assessment1▲ 4.6×4 topics
  20. Aviation1▲ 117×2 topics
  21. Image Processing1▲ 6.6×2 topics
  22. Medical Imaging1▲ 5.5×3 topics
  23. Epidemiology1▼ 0.63×9 topics
  24. Human Rights1▲ 2.5×2 topics
  25. Sovereignty1▲ 28×2 topics
  26. Hyperspectral Imaging1▲ 8.3×3 topics
  27. International Institutions1▲ 112×1 topic
  28. LEO Satellite Constellation1▲ 81×1 topic
  29. Power1▲ 33×1 topic
  30. Refugees1▲ 18×1 topic
  31. Satellite Communications1▲ 81×1 topic
  32. Sparse Representation1▲ 13×2 topics
  33. Surveillance1▲ 9.0×2 topics
  34. Treaties1▲ 247×1 topic

Which research topics does U.S. Air Force Space Command publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Spacecraft Design and Technology, Space exploration and regulation, Space Satellite Systems and Control and International Relations and Foreign Policy.

Spacecraft Design and Te…3Spacecraft Design and Technology: 3 fractional worksSpace exploration and regulation: 3 fractional worksSpace Satellite Systems and Control: 2 fractional worksInternational Relations and Foreign Policy: 1 fractional worksInternational Law and Aviation: 1 fractional worksSatellite Communication Systems: 1 fractional worksAdvanced Measurement and Detection Methods: 1 fractional worksAstronomical Observations and Instrumentation: 1 fractional worksSpace Science and Extraterrestrial Life: 1 fractional worksEthics and Social Impacts of AI: 1 fractional works
Aerospace EngineeringAstronomy and AstrophysicsPolitical Science and International RelationsElectrical and Electronic Engineering2 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Spacecraft Design and Technology Aerospace Engineering 3 works
  2. 2 Space exploration and regulation Astronomy and Astrophysics 3 works
  3. 3 Space Satellite Systems and Control Aerospace Engineering 2 works
  4. 4 International Relations and Foreign Policy Political Science and International Relations 1 works
  5. 5 International Law and Aviation Political Science and International Relations 1 works
  6. 6 Satellite Communication Systems Aerospace Engineering 1 works
  7. 7 Advanced Measurement and Detection Methods Electrical and Electronic Engineering 1 works
  8. 8 Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation Computational Mechanics 1 works
  9. 9 Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 works
  10. 10 Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Safety Research 1 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available20.1%not open79.9%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors6.7%domestic only93.3%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has U.S. Air Force Space Command's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 24% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Colorado Springs

All research institutions in Colorado Springs

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.