The Space Force officer in charge of overseeing each launch on the Space Coast has changed hands.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen handed off some of her duties, including the roles of commander for Space Launch Delta 45 and director of the Eastern Range, to Space Force Col. Brian Chatman.

The change of command ceremony took place on June 26 with Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, the head of Space Systems Command, overseeing the traditional passing of the guidon, a symbolic pennant, that ended Panzenhagen’s run as the leader of Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

She came to the Space Coast in June 2023 while also taking on the roles of executive officer for the Space Force’s Assured Access to Space program and director of launch and range operations for Space Systems Command out of Patrick SFB.

She filled the boots of Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, who had been in those roles from 2021-2023, including leading the two facilities’ transition from the Air Force to the Space Force.

Panzenhagen finished up overseeing 2023’s record launch year of 72 missions, only to top that with the 93 flown in 2024. Through July 2, the Space Coast has seen 58 launches from either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, on track to break 100 before the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, Panzenhagen said the Space Force was prepped to support 13 launches a month if need be, or 156 for the year, although that pace was not realized.

Chatman’s most recent posting has been that of deputy director for the Space Systems Engineering Directorate for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration.

“As the SLD 45 commander, he runs the world’s busiest spaceport and is responsible for delivering infrastructure, operations, and support for all Eastern Range launch and test missions,” reads his official Space Force bio. “As Director of the Eastern Range, he is responsible for the safety of launch and test operations across a 15-million-square-mile area.”

He received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

“His primary duties have included special operations intelligence, aircraft and space systems acquisition program management, space operations, and as an operational liaison between the intelligence community, the special operations community, and Air Force and Space Force acquisition communities,” his bio reads.

His experience includes assignments with the National Reconnaissance Office, Space Systems Center, and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, where he ran a $1.2 billion program of 15 top national priority classified programs and directed more than 500 government and contractor personnel.

He also previously served as the deputy commander of the 30th Operations Group at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which included space operations on the Western Range.

The Space Force has not announced who will be the new executive officer for the Assured Access to Space program, nor what Panzenhagen’s new assignment will be.

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