Air Force Space Command announced Monday that a Minotaur rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., lifting off from Space Launch Complex 8, on April 14. The Minotaur, a ground-based version of Orbital Science Corp.’s air-launched Pegasus rocket, boosted the COSMIC spacecraft’s six low Earth orbiting micro-satellites. The COSMIC constellation is designed to collect data on moisture in Earth’s atmosphere.
The Air Force recently tightened its standards on mustaches and sideburns to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s strict new guidance on facial hair.


