Tag: Military
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National Space Council hears calls for moon trips and stronger space defense
Vice President Mike Pence delivers opening remarks at the National Space Council’s inaugural meeting, conducted at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The shuttle Discovery looms in the background. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky) The Trump administration plans to send astronauts and robots back to the moon in…
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Air Force secretary hints at military space applications for Stratolaunch super-plane
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson chats with Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd (left) at the company’s hangar in Mojave, Calif. The twin-tailed airplane is behind them. (Heather Wilson via Twitter) Stratolaunch, the six-year-old space venture backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, says it’ll use the world’s biggest airplane to launch small satellites into orbit – but…
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Boeing wins go-ahead from DARPA to build and test XS-1 military space plane by 2020
An artist’s conception shows Boeing’s Phantom Express XS-1 space plane in flight. (Boeing Illustration) The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency says it has selected the Boeing Co. to develop and test its XS-1 hypersonic space plane, using a design now known as the Phantom Express. Boeing won out over Northrop Grumman and Masten Space Systems…
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Air Force’s X-37B space plane lands in Florida after secret 2-year orbital mission
Workers in protective suits check out the Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehcile after its touchdown at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. (U.S. Air Force Photo) After nearly two years in orbit, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B robotic space plane landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today with a loud sonic…
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Following Trump’s lead, Pentagon orders reviews of Air Force One, F-35 fighter jets
The current Air Force One planes were built more than a quarter-century ago. (White House Photo) President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, has ordered reviews of the multibillion-dollar programs to acquire new Air Force One jets and more F-35 fighter jets – two programs that sparked his boss’ ire in the run-up to his inauguration.…
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WGS-8 military satellite goes into orbit
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket is wrapped in flame and smoke as it lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, sending the U.S. Air Force’s Wideband Global Satcom 8 satellite into space. (ULA via YouTube) An advanced satellite for battlefield communications, known as Wideband Global Satcom-8, rose into orbit tonight from Cape…
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GPS-3 is go: SpaceX wins its first national security launch contract … by default
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches the Deep Space Climate Observatory for NOAA, NASA and the Air Force in February 2015. SpaceX has launched payloads for the Air Force previously, but now it’s been chosen for the launch of a national security payload. (Credit: SpaceX) SpaceX today won an $82.7 million contract to launch a GPS-3…
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Blue Origin, ULA and Aerojet win Air Force contracts for U.S.-made rocket engines
Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine goes through staged combustion testing. (Credit: ULA) Blue Origin, the rocket venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, is among the beneficiaries in a set of Air Force contracts aimed at developing U.S.-made replacements for the Russian-made engines that currently power many of America’s space missions. One of the contracts announced…
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SpaceX trumps United Launch Alliance in bid for Air Force GPS-3 launch contract
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the DSCOVR satellite in February. (Credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is poised to win an Air Force national security launch contract by default because its archrival, United Launch Alliance, has dropped out of the competition. ULA said this week that it decided not to bid on the Air Force contract for launching…
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Trident missile launch sparks UFO freakout in Los Angeles and on Twitter
A Trident missile launch lit up the skies over Los Angeles at around 6 p.m. PT Saturday. (Credit: Julien Solomita via YouTube) An unannounced Trident missile launch lit up the skies over Los Angeles on Saturday night, setting off a hail of UFO reports, tense tweets and YouTube videos. After the flare-up, the U.S. Navy…