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modified Minuteman II booster launched by personnel at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Aug. 23 was the object of boost-phase data collected by the Missile Defense Agency’s NFIRE (near field infrared experiment) research satellite, launched earlier this year. The point was to provide a better understanding of missile exhaust plumes and the difference between the plume and the rocket body, according to an MDA release. The satellite downloaded the data to MDA operations at Schriever AFB, Colo.
As the Space Force prepares to field new fleets of satellites that can track moving targets in the air and on the ground, it’s working to ensure it has the organizational structures in place to onboard and operate those systems.
