An estimated 1,500 Boeing Co. machinists have gone on strike after labor talks between their union and the Boeing unit that operates the Delta rocket broke down, per the Dow Jones newswire. Of concern to the Air Force would be the Boeing Delta launch operations at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Boeing already postponed launch of a NASA environmental satellite, believing a strike was imminent.
The ongoing government shutdown has not slowed progress on the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, a congressional official said, correcting a previous statement from lawmakers about the secretive program.
