The Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., on July 11 dispatched the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters on their first storm chase of the 2008 season. Flying a WC-130J Hercules aircraft specially configured for the Air Force’s only hurricane mission, airmen of the 53rd WRS sought out Hurricane Bertha, at the time a category 1 storm with winds up to 85 mph as it headed toward Bermuda. The National Weather Service later downgraded Bertha to a tropical storm. (Keesler report)
Space Systems Command has awarded a massive $2.29 billion contract to SpaceX for the “backbone” of its new Space Data Network, a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit that will provide connectivity for the entire joint force.