The Air Force announced early Tuesday that the launch of the first Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., is now tentatively rescheduled for Thursday between 11:00 p.m. and 11:19 p.m. EDT. Monday night’s launch attempt was scrubbed after an anomaly was detected with a thrust vector control system on one of the two solid rocket motors on the Delta IV booster during the final seconds of the launch countdown. That discovery triggered an automatic launch abort. Mission managers are now determining corrective action. Monday night’s attempt was the one of several since May 20 to place this satellite into orbit. (Patrick release)
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.