Military Closes Up Shop at Sunnyvale's Blue Cube

On Wednesday the Air Force is officially closing its secret satellite tracking station in Sunnyvale. The big blue cube near 101 and 237 at Moffett Field has been a Silicon Valley landmark for decades. It's been used by the Air Force since the Cold War.

"This facility here in Sunnyvale has supported an amazing 3.4 million satellite operations over the past years," said Lt. General Tom Sheridan.

He says some of those operations included work with spy satellites for the NRO, or National Reconnaissance Office. Click to Listen

"Much of the details of this work is still classified and we can't talk openly about it," Sheridan said. "But what I can tell you is that the operations conducted by the NRO from this site has made our nation a tremendously safer place to be."

The blue cube also supported all 132 space shuttle missions flown to date, and was named the Onizuka Air Force Station after Astronaut Ellison Onizuka who died in the Challenger accident. His widow Lorna spoke at the base closing ceremony.

"He is greatly honored, greatly appreciative, and on behalf of him I thank you," she said.

The station is being moved to Vandenberg Air Force Base, but the blue cube will remain for use by the city.