The Air Force is still working on its independent assessment of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explosion, and could still disqualify SpaceX from National Security Space launches—but there is no indication it should, the commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center said Friday. “From 10 minutes after the incident until today, we’ve had full access” to everything SpaceX has, said Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves at an AFA Mitchell Institute breakfast on Capitol Hill. “The mishap itself did not affect the certification status” of the Falcon 9 system, he said, and though the results of the investigation could, Greaves said it is unlikely. “I see no reason—none at all—no inkling, no concern with SpaceX’s certification and I have no intent to decertify them,” he said. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upgrade was recently certified for national security space launches, though the company is still waiting for “mission assurance return to flight” status for USAF launches.
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…