With the help of airpower, Argentina invades and captures the Falkland Islands, a British crown colony. On May 4, an Argentine airplane sinks the British destroyer HMS Sheffield with an Exocet missile. Argentine aircraft sink three more British ships, including two frigates and a destroyer, before British forces prevail, aided by land and carrier-based aircraft. On June 14, the last Argentine forces surrender to British troops in the Falklands.
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
