The Air Force plans to divest Vandenberg AFB, Calif., of its sole aircraft unit, the 76th Helicopter Squadron, next month, as part of its financial belt-tightening effort, reports the Santa Maria Times. The unit’s UH-1 helicopters will go to other Air Force Space Command units to support ICBM operations. The Vandy helicopters provided launch range support, overflying the range prior to launches. In the interim, the unit served as a rescue and firefighting resource.
The Space Force awarded three contracts for rocket launches worth up to a combined $13.68 billion on April 4—and the usual players SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have got some competition in the form of newcomer Blue Origin.