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Minuteman III test launch showcases readiness of US nuclear force’s safe, effective deterrent > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

Minuteman III test launch showcases readiness of US nuclear force’s safe, effective deterrent > United States Space Force > Article Display

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Vandenberg Space Force Base Guardians launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single telemetered joint test assembly re-entry vehicle Feb. 19 fom Vandenberg SFB. The Western Range at Vandenberg SFB serves as the primary testing ground for the AFGSC's ICBM deterrent architecture. This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities designed to demonstrate that the United States' nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, reliable, and effective in deterring 21st-century threats and reassuring allies.“Today’s Minuteman III test launch is ...

SpaceX crosses 8,000 total Starlink satellites launched with latest Falcon 9 flight – Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX

SpaceX crosses 8,000 total Starlink satellites launched with latest Falcon 9 flight – Spaceflight Now

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Starlink 7-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Image: SpaceX Update 9:08 p.m. EST (0208 UTC): SpaceX landed the booster on the droneship. SpaceX launched the first of two planned Starlink flights over the weekend. Up first was the launch of the Starlink 15-1 mission on Saturday, which carried with it 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 5:38 p.m. PST (8:38 p.m. EST, 0138 UTC). SpaceX used the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1082 on this mission, which launched for an 11th time. It previously launched USSF-62, OneWeb Launch 20 and eight batches of Starlink satellites. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1...

How cosmic stasis may drastically rewrite the history of the universe

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Science

How cosmic stasis may drastically rewrite the history of the universe

Ask someone how the universe began and they will probably reply with those three familiar words: the big bang. But as recently as the 1960s, cosmologists hotly debated this matter. On the other side of the argument to the big bang was the idea of an unchanging “steady state” universe, the density of which was kept the same by continually adding new matter as it expanded. In the end, observations ruled out the idea of a steady state universe and cemented the place of the big bang in the canon of cosmology. That primordial explosion started a process of continual expansion, and today cosmologists view the universe as a place of constant flux. But now a bold group of cosmologists is questioning all that. To be clear, this isn’t a return to the steady state universe,...

Hegseth addresses strengthening military by cutting excess, refocusing DOD budget > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

Hegseth addresses strengthening military by cutting excess, refocusing DOD budget > United States Space Force > Article Display

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- During a recorded, on-camera address from the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed his priorities of strengthening the military by cutting fiscal fraud, waste and abuse at DOD while also finding ways to refocus the department's budget. Hegseth began his remarks stating the Defense Department owes the American people transparency related to steps DOD is taking to accomplish its mission while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. "We shoot straight with you. We want you, the American people — the taxpayers — to understand why we're making the decisions that we're making here," Hegseth said, adding that DOD ...

Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability makes tremendous progress in first year > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability makes tremendous progress in first year > United States Space Force > Article Display

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AFNS) -- Just one year after signing a ground-breaking trilateral agreement, the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability partnership is completing facilities construction at the first of three sites that will host a global network of advanced ground-based sensors. DARC is a partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, designed to create an all-weather, global system to track very small objects in geosynchronous orbit to protect critical U.S. and allied satellite services. The trilateral Memorandum of Understanding was signed Sept. 27, 2023, will last 22 years, and is a practical example of what the partners can achieve when working together to enhance mutual defense capabilities in the Indo-Pac...