The launch of a Delta IV rocket carrying the seventh Wideband Global Satellite communications spacecraft was moved to Thursday due to “predicted weather conditions and the potential for high winds during the launch countdown,” announced United Launch Alliance. The 40-minute launch window now opens at 8:07 p.m. from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., according to the release. WGS-7 is the first spacecraft procured under a commercial-style contract with Boeing that will save an estimated $100 million over the program, according to a June 17 release. WGS-7 through WGS-10 are jointly funded by partners Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The previous WGS satellite completed on-orbit checks in 2013.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…