The wildfire that has burned more than 12,000 acres at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., was 70 percent contained as of Thursday morning, the 30th Space Wing announced. Specialized teams are now re-entering south base to assess the damage, according to a release. More than 1,000 firefighters from the USAF and more than 50 other agencies have been battling the fire since it began in a remote canyon on south base on Sept. 17, according to base releases. An Atlas V launch scheduled for Sept. 18 was delayed so the base’s resources could be focused on fighting the fire, according to another release. High winds are forecasted for the area, but firefighters are confident they will continue to make good progress as they continue constructing containment lines and eliminating hot spots, according to Thursday’s announcement.
As the Space Force moves forward with plans to modernize its weather satellite architecture, it’s working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to share data and leverage the agency’s modeling and validation tools, officials told lawmakers in a Jan. 13 hearing.
