On Sept. 5, Air Forces Central reported that an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle had crashed Sept. 4 in Eastern Afghanistan at about 8:45 p.m. Kabul time. AFCENT said the crash was not due to hostile fire and there were no reports of civilian injuries or damage. USAF will establish an investigation board to review the incident.
NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.