Although the USSF and NRO are primary customers, Aerospace performs work for civil agencies such as NASA and NOAA as well as international organizations and governments in the national interest.

[3] On July 1, 1954, the Western Development Division (WDD) of the United States Air Force was established, under the command of Brig Gen Bernard A. Schriever.

[4] Congress wanted the establishment of an organization, free from conflict of interest, to aid the Air Force in "applying the full resources of modern science and technology to the problem of achieving those continuing advances in ballistic missiles and military space systems.

The Aerospace Corporation provided general systems engineering and technical direction for the Titan II missile, first tested in 1962, which became the launch vehicle for Project Gemini.

"[9] Throughout the 1980s, Aerospace supported the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the Milstar and DSCS satellite communication systems, and antisatellite (ASAT) programs.

Aerospace plays an integral role in the development of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program that will replace the Milstar system.

Aerospace has been playing a leading role in the planning and acquisition of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Department of Defense has identified five core competencies for the Aerospace FFRDC: launch certification, system-of-systems engineering, systems development and acquisition, process implementation, and technology application.

[11] Aerospace also manages support to programs for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as other civil and some commercial space customers.

[12] Members of ETG assess and evaluate existing and new space technologies, investigate and resolve anomalies, and conduct research and development.

Through methods such as technical and engineering analyses, concept design studies, and direct on-site support, they provide planning, development, and deployment services for reconnaissance space systems.

[13] NSG's focus is to apply a systems engineering approach to national intelligence programs to provide objective technical recommendations and solutions.

[14][15] The team received the 1992 NASA Group Achievement Award for their work on understanding the breakup characteristics of the Space Shuttle external tank.