US Forces Japan officials say that news articles claiming that Yokota AB, Japan, will give up control of some airspace to aid Japan’s growing commercial aviation industry are premature, reports Stars and Stripes. US and Japanese are in negotiation over a range of transformation issues, ceding back additional airspace is just one factor. A USFK spokeswoman told Stars and Stripes that Yokota had adjusted its airspace five times since 1972 to accommodate increased civilian activity.
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.