The 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., recently supported the successful launch of a Space Explorations Technologies communications satellite at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, announced base officials. The Thaicom 6 satellite—SpaceX’s second commercial launch—took off in a Falcon 9 launch vehicle on Jan 6, according to a base release. “I am immensely proud of the work of the wing and our mission partners,” said Col. Robert Pavelko, 45th SW vice commander. Airmen provided launch support, weather forecasts, launch and range operations, security, and other support to SpaceX, states the Jan. 7 release. The 45th SW also served as the launch decision authority. Thaicom 6 “will provide C-band and Ku-band communications services across Southeast Asia and Africa,” states the release, and “it will fly in a geostationary orbit approximately 22,000 miles above the Earth’s equator.”
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
