An airman assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota AB, Japan, died Dec. 13 after finishing a training mission at Andersen AFB, Guam, according to an Air Force release. The airman was found unresponsive during post-flight inspections; the cause of death is under investigation. The 374th AW had traveled to Guam for Operation Christmas Drop, a humanitarian relief event in which Air Force planes drop critical supplies and donated goods to 56 remote Micronesian islands. The Air Force has not released the name of the airman.
A new White House policy calls for the Pentagon to craft plans for additional space launch facilities to support a projected increase in launch demand that could see the U.S. supporting as many as 1,000 launches by 2030, more than a fivefold increase from 2025.