As part of the 2007 defense authorization, Congress included $767 million for the Transformational Satellite program, about $100 million less than the Administration requested. Lawmakers cited “unexecutable growth in the program budget” as the culprit, saying that the Government Accountability Office “questions whether the contractors associated with the space segment of the TSAT program will be able to increase development activities” to the level of the Administration request. However, lawmakers said they remain “fully supportive of the restructured TSAT program.”
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
