(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Sunday, Dec. 9, local leaders and community partners from across Colorado Springs came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Global Positioning System at Schriever SFB.

According to the U.S. Space Force, on Dec. 9, 1993, the GPS constellation reached initial operating capability. The system was originally developed for the military to determine precise locations on the battlefield. The system has since been shared with the world as a global utility, available to anyone, anytime, anywhere on Earth.

“We’re here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Global Positioning Systems initial operational capability,” U.S. Space Force Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting said. “What an incredible milestone that is. This squadron here, the 2d Space Operations Squadron, has been providing the gold standard for positioning, navigation, and timing for three decades now and it’s great to come celebrate with these Guardians and Airmen.”

Space Force said the day also represents the 50th anniversary of when the Navstar Global Positioning System was given development approval. GPS is maintained by a crew of ten personnel, eight military, and two contractors.

“It’s a tremendous technical achievement. If you can think about not only the ways GPS has revolutionized the way we in the military operate, it has also been a tremendous benefit to our civilian way of life. Everything that might be considered a major advance over the last 30 years has GPS at the foundation of it,” said Colonel Andrew Menschner.

“It is a no-fail mission, 24/7, 365,” said Khiry Loyd, GPS maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “This mission for me is probably one of the more important missions I’ll do in my service. I’m grateful to be able to wake up and do this. It’s amazing to say that I was a part of that team.”