A new report details how the proposed $136 million California Space Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base would give San Luis Obispo County a substantial economic boost between tourism, the creation of new jobs, and the results of 10 years of construction, operations, and visitor spending, reports the SLO Tribune News. The majority of the revenue would stay in Santa Barbara County, but San Luis Obispo County should reap on average about $8.7 million per year. The Santa Maria-based Space Authority is negotiating with Vandenberg officials to lease a 66-acre bluff outside Vandenberg’s main gate, which offers visitors a direct view of satellite and rocket launches.
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.