Airmen with the 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., on Tuesday successfully launched a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket into space that was carrying a classified US government communications satellite known as “PAN.” “This launch helps to ensure that vital communications will continue to bolster our nation’s capabilities and showcases why the 45th Space Wing is the world’s premiere gateway to space,” said Brig. Gen. Edward Bolton Jr., 45th SW boss. This mission was the 16th Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral. It was also the 13th launch overall this year from the Cape. (Includes Patrick release) (For more, read NASA Spaceflight.com’s Sept. 8 report.)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.