The ninth space shuttle mission (STS-9) is launched. Mission Commander John W. Young becomes the first person to make six spaceflights, and Columbia is the first spacecraft to be launched with a crew of six. The flight is also the first to use the European Spacelab module.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
