Classified Satellite Launched

Sept. 10, 2009

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

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.)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

GAO Report: Just Over One in Four F-35As Fully Mission Capable

GAO: Tanker Fleet Struggling with Readiness due to Parts Shortage, KC-46 Delays

Experts: Adversaries Can Exploit App Data to Track Troops, Families

Air Force, Space Force Seek 6,000 Civilian Hires in Wake of DOGE Cuts

Related

Senators Want to Build Back MQ-9 Fleet by 2028

June 12, 2026
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said the MQ-9 proved to be the “most valuable player” of Operation Epic Fury—so valuable, in fact, that a key congressional panel wants to require the Air Force to grow its fleet of Reaper drones in the next few years.

Experts: Adversaries Can Exploit App Data to Track Troops, Families

June 11, 2026
For millions of Americans, downloading smartphone apps and quickly allowing them access to the phone’s location data has become a daily routine. But for service members and their families, every download can offer U.S. adversaries a chance to threaten their personal safety, information security experts warn.

Lawmakers Eye Four-Star Command for Unmanned, Autonomous Systems

June 11, 2026
The Pentagon could have the option to create a new combatant command devoted to unmanned and autonomous systems if a provision in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill becomes law. The legislation is one of several moves lawmakers have proposed in recent weeks to both bound and…

GAO Report: Just Over One in Four F-35As Fully Mission Capable

June 11, 2026
Software shortcomings, spare parts shortages, and corrosion problems mean only about one in four F-35 stealth fighters were ready to carry out all their possible missions at any given time in fiscal 2025, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Lawmakers Pave the Way for Space Force to Dissolve SDA, Space RCO

June 11, 2026
Tucked into the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill is the legal backing the Space Force needs to dissolve the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as part of its acquisition reform efforts.