Boeing announced Tuesday that the Air Force’s space based space surveillance system satellite has been shipped to Vandenberg AFB, Calif., in preparation for its scheduled launch on July 8. The move comes after the satellite completed its final factory functional checkout. The satellite will now be readied for integration onto its host Minotaur IV launch vehicle. Once on orbit, SBSS will be the sole US space-based platform for detecting and monitoring objects in space. Air Force officials have said it will significantly improve US ability to track and monitor satellites, debris, and other objects in space that could threaten US space assets. Boeing and partner Ball Aerospace are supplying the satellite.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.