An Air Force C-17, flying at 32,000 feet, air dropped a 65-foot, 72,000-pound simulated Falcon Small Launch Vehicle, marking the longest and heaviest single object to be dropped from a C-17, breaking the record set in June during the second FSLV test. This was the final test in a three-test series to explore whether it would be feasible—and less expensive—to use the big airlifter to safely deliver a full-weight rocket for the program and could spawn a spacelift role for the new strategic airlifter.
With a little more than a week to go before the continuing resolution funding the federal government expires, lawmakers in Congress have still yet to reach an agreement on spending—and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is warning that dozens of programs and projects could be affected if no long-term agreement…