SpaceX’s Feb. 19 launch of a Falcon 9 rocket marked the “first launch where we’ve used an autonomous flight termination system,” Space Command chief Gen. Jay Raymond told reporters Friday at AWS17. All rockets are equipped with a flight termination system at launch, Raymond explained, that enables a human operator to monitor the rocket’s path and trigger a “destruct package” if the rocket strays from its flight path and endangers public safety. The most recent Falcon 9 launch is the first time this capability has been fully automated with a “self-sensing destruct package.” Raymond said the advance will save money and time by requiring “less radars” and “less telemetry” for rocket launches in the future.
Boeing has only delivered two KC-46 tankers to the Air Force so far in 2021, despite USAF officials saying they expect that total per month, as the service has slowed the delivery pace of the aircraft. Though there are more aircraft ready at Boeing’s facilities, Air Mobility Command is slowing…