The latest two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites launched from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., early Friday aboard a Delta IV rocket, Los Angeles Air Force Base announced. The satellites are the third and fourth in the program, which launched its first two spacecraft from Cape Canaveral on July 28, 2014. Because they achieve near-geosynchronous orbit, the satellites provide clearer and more accurate space situational awareness data in addition to supporting the ongoing surveillance mission of US Strategic Command. Among other purposes, the capabilities of GSSAP satellites will give operators a clearer view of man-made space objects and reduce the chances of collisions between them. In July, the satellites helped the 1st Space Operations Squadron collect data to identify the cause of an anomaly in the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System-5 satellite.
The U.S. and U.K. launched a new wave of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Jan. 22, hitting radars, missile support systems, and underground weapon storage areas, the Pentagon said. The strikes were in response to Houthi attacks on American commercial ships in the Red Sea.