A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three Glonass-M navigation satellites deviated from its intended course on liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. As a result, the three satellites never reached their proper orbit during the Dec. 4 launch and instead plunged into the Pacific Ocean more than 900 miles northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, reported Space.com Monday. The three satellites were meant to complete Russia’s Glonass constellation, which at full strength will have 24 spacecraft, plus several on-orbit spares. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an investigation into the incident, reported RIA Novosti.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…