A contingent of airmen and B-52H bombers from the 23rd Bomb Squadron at Minot AFB, N.D., is preparing to deploy to Andersen AFB, Guam as part of a normal rotation of US combat forces to the Western Pacific region, the Associated Press reported May 9 (via the Dickinson Press). The Minot force will be replacing an expeditionary unit of B-2A bombers from the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Mo., that arrived on Guam in early 2010. The Air Force maintains a continual bomber presence on Guam to contribute to stability in that part of the world. Air Force officials told Congress in March that these bomber deployments would be lengthened from four months to six months. According to AP, the Minot airmen would be at Andersen for roughly that duration.
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.