Does a social media image that shows a logo and the upside-down words "Space Force" next to a satanic symbol display the official logo of the U.S. Space Force? No, that's not true: The official U.S. Space Force delta symbol is not seen in this image on X. The image shows a hat sold online but not by the U.S. Space Force, which says it restricts the use of its logo for "internal, official use only."
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 12, 2024. Above side-by-side images of an upside-down hat with the words "Space Force" and what appeared to be a drawing of a demon, the post's caption said:
Do you all understand what I am getting at? Donald Trump was never supposed to acknowledge that we have a military branch operating off planet. When he did that he made them come out of the shadows. Do you know how many super soldiers were blowing the whistle on the SSP-(Secret Space Program)? I am talking about way before D. Trump came into the picture.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu June 13 17:55:30 2024 UTC)
This image does not depict the current, official logo of the U.S. Space Force, known as the "Delta symbol." The Delta symbol is shaped like an arrow with a silver color. In the center of it is a silver star and two spires. A disclaimer on the bottom of the U.S. Space Force Symbols page says:
The U.S. Space Force seal is reserved for internal, official use only and marked here to discourage unauthorized use.
As seen below, the Delta symbol, in use since 1961, according to the Space Force, is clearly different from the image seen in the post on X.
(Source: United States Space Force website screenshot taken on Fri June 14 17:30:30 2024 UTC)
The image on X appears to depict a hat, with the words "Space Force" and a symbol flipped upside down. As of June 14, 2024, the same hat, with its text and symbol upright, could be found for sale on Amazon (archived here) for $14.99. The vendor is not the U.S. Space Force, but GEANBAYE.
(Source: Amazon screenshot taken on Fri June 14 17:30:30 2024 UTC)
Some viewers of this GEANBAYE hat left comments in the rating section of its Amazon product page that imply that, if the hat is flipped upside down, the image on it displays a satanic symbol known as Baphomet. A May 2021 NPR article reported that satanic symbols such as this have been associated with the QAnon conspiracy.
Further down in the post on X, the claimant implied that the posted image depicts a new Space Force logo. The text said:
D. Trump was not behind this specific design. When they revealed the new logo he was only supporting the official design.
As of June 14, 2024, a search of the Space Force website (archived here) revealed no information about the release of a new logo.
Lead Stories contacted the Space Force and the U.S. Air Force, the military branch under which it is organized, for a statement regarding the validity of the claim on X about the Space Force logo. This fact check will be updated if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks mentioning the U.S. Space Force can be found here.
