Weather issues delayed the launches for the Minotaur IV Lite, carrying DARPA’s HTV-2 hypersonic test vehicle, and USAF’s X-37B orbital test vehicle. The Minotaur launch from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., was set for April 20 but late Monday officials decided to delay a day, possibly two, because of poor weather conditions, reports the Lompoc Record. Similarly poor weather forced delays in the space shuttle landing (Discovery landed April 20), so officials postponed the inaugural X-37B launch, now set for April 22, per United Launch Alliance’s launch schedule.
U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers have arrived in the Middle East to deter Iran and its proxies, the U.S. military announced Nov. 3. It is the first time that B-52s have deployed to a base in the region since 2019.