US airmen—principally US Air Force aircrews—are finally getting a training range in South Korea after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly threatened to close US air bases on the peninsula if additional training space couldn’t be provided. The Korean defense ministry plans to add a $3 million electronic scoring system at the Chikdo shooting range, reports the Korea Times. USAF already uses the range, which is on Chikdo Island off Kunsan, but has had limited access.
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.