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Space

NRO Launches Mission on Reused SpaceX Booster for the First Time

By Rachel Jewett

Tuesday, April 19th, 2022

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NRO Launches Mission on Reused SpaceX Booster for the First Time

SpaceX launches NROL85 mission. Photo: NRO

SpaceX launched a classified satellite early Sunday morning for the National Reconnaissance Office, using a flight-proven booster, marking the first time an NRO mission has flown on a reused rocket. The mission, NROL-85, was the NRO’s second launch this year. The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on April 17 at 6:13 a.m. PT. The booster returned to the landing zone after delivering the payload to orbit. “All launches are exciting, but this one, with our…

Budget

Hegseth Pushes For Reconciliation With At Least $350 Billion For Defense ‘Regardless’ Of Midterms Outcome

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Congress

Bipartisan Push in Senate to Hasten Export of 155 mm, GMLRS, HIMARS for Ukraine

A small, bipartisan group of senators is backing the Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act, S. 5175, to hasten the export of allied buys of U.S. munitions for […]

Congress

Rep. Himes Signals Increased Contractor Oversight, if Democrats Win House

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, plans to increase the committee’s contractor oversight if the Democrats win control of the House […]

Congress

CBO Estimates Loss of One-Half to Two-Thirds of U.S. Missile Interceptors Since June Last Year

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the cost of the Iran war through Aug. 1 as $38 billion and says that the U.S. has likely depleted between one-half and […]