The Air Force aided the launch of six satellites—collectively known as Space Test Program-1—aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V evolved expendable launch vehicle on March 8 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. One of the satellites was the first Air Force payload to be launched via an Atlas V. The launch also marked the first use of the EELV secondary payload adaptor, which enables the booster to carry six separate satellites. Among a series of firsts, the launch also was the first time the Atlas V has boosted multiple satellites into two different low-Earth-orbits. Two of the payloads comprised elements of a DARPA-Boeing Orbital Express program aimed at demonstrating an on-orbit system to service other satellites.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
