An Ariane V rocket lifting off from Kourou, French Guiana, boosts into orbit the SES-2 communications satellite, which hosts USAF’s first payload on a commercial satellite. The experimental Air Force payload, dubbed Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP), also is the first wide-field-of- view infrared staring payload in space.
Air Force senior leaders are dialing back a forcewide requirement for commanders to hold quarterly “standards and readiness reviews” of their Airmen to once per year.
