The Air Force says it successfully launched a Delta II rocket carrying an Italian radar satellite into space Oct. 24 from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. “People don’t always think about it, but this is rocket science, and our airmen and industry partners make it look easy,” Col. David Buck, commander of Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing and the spacelift commander for this mission, said in a release from the base yesterday. Impressively, the airmen of Space Launch Complex 2 were able to conduct this mission just six weeks after completing the launch of the GeoEye-1 imagery satellite in September. SLC-2 crews have traditionally had about three or four months between missions.
GPS Without Space? DOD Looks to Quantum for an Answer
Nov. 27, 2024
The Department of Defense is eyeing localized quantum sensors as a radical alternative to space-based Global Positioning System satellites in the face of increasing threats to GPS signals needed for precision navigation and timing.