C-17 Drops Launch Vehicle: An Air Force C-17 flying over Edwards AFB, Calif., released a mockup of a Falcon Small Launch Vehicle, the second in a series of tests with the 65-foot, 65,000-pound mockup booster. The June 14 test vehicle was also the heaviest single item airdropped by the C-17, so far, says Kristen Pearson, 418th Flight Test Squadron Falcon program manager. The joint Air Force-DARPA Falcon SLV program is designed to produce a new low-cost method to boost satellites into low-Earth-orbit, but the Air Force also is using it to expand the C-17’s airdrop capabilities. AirLaunch LLC of Kirkland, Wash., builds the test SLVs, which are designed to simulate the Quickreach booster rocket.
Article 32 Hearing for Former AFRL Boss Delayed
Jan. 26, 2021
The Air Force has pushed back the Article 32 preliminary hearing until Feb. 8 for Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley, the former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory who faces a sexual assault charge. The Department announced in November an investigation found evidence of “misconduct” by Cooley, with the…