The US is sending a warship and helicopters to help New Zealand, which is recovering from a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that hit the island on Monday. At least two people were killed in the shake and a series of aftershocks throughout the country, according to BBC News. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, said the USS Sampson, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and its two MH-60 Seahawks will join a P-3 Orion already in New Zealand in disaster relief efforts. Landslides, heavy rain, and flooding has hampered responses throughout the country and in the capital of Wellington.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
