The Air Force formally accepted the first Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite from contractor Boeing on April 22. This spacecraft is set for launch in late May aboard a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. The Block IIF series incorporates a new navigation signal for civil users as well as signal accuracy improvements for military and civil users. Boeing is under contract to build 12 Block IIF satellites, after which the Air Force will transition to Lockheed Martin-built Block III spacecraft. (May 7 Los Angeles photo caption)
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.