Capt. David I. Lyon, 28, of Sandpoint, Idaho, died from wounds suffered when a vehicle-born improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, announced the Defense Department. The deadly attack took place on Dec. 27. Lyon was a member of the 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron at Peterson AFB, Colo. He was on a year-long deployment, working with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan in advising Afghan army commandos, according to a Peterson release. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Captain Lyon,” said Col. John Shaw, commander of Peterson’s 21st Space Wing. “The loss of life pains our team deeply,” he said. Lyon was an Air Force Academy graduate who had been in the Air Force for five years, states the base release. He was scheduled to return from the deployment in February, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette.
The Space Development Agency wants to wrap up its Tranche 1 launch campaign by the end of spring 2027, flying six more batches of satellites to build out its tracking and data transport constellations, according to Director Gurpartap Sandhoo.
