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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Biles withdraws from gymnastics final to protect...
TOKYO (AP) — Simone Biles came to Tokyo as the star of the U.S. Olympic movement and perhaps the Games themselves. She convinced herself she was prepared for the pressure. That she was ready for the spotlight. Only, as the women’s gymnastics team final approached on Tuesday night, something felt off for the American star. So rather than push through the doubts that crept into her head as she’s done so many times before, she decided enough was enough....

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Remaking Woodbridge: Area seen as Prince William...
This aerial, taken in June, shows areas of north Woodbridge along and west of Route 1 (center of photo) targeted for redevelopment through the small-area plan. Meanwhile, new plans have been filed for additional projects at Belmont Bay (Roger Snyder / For InsideNoVa) This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. Major changes are in the works for the North Woodbridge area, and Prince William County is hustling to get...

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Olympic beach volleyball puts college stars on...
TOKYO (AP) — Beach volleyball’s future was on display at the Shiokaze Park venue Monday morning for the Olympic debut of Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil. Three of the four players in the U.S. victory over Latvia came up through an NCAA beach volleyball program that has only been around since 2012. Claes and Latvia’s Tina Graudina both went to Southern California, and Sponcil played at rival UCLA. (USC coach Dain Blanton, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, was...

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The Latest: Education Dept OKs Georgia plan...
ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Education approved Georgia’s plans to use $1.4 billion in federal coronavirus relief money. Federal officials already distributed two-thirds of the $4.2 billion that Georgia schools received under the American Rescue Plan, the relief bill backed by President Joe Biden. Most of the money is being directly allocated to Georgia’s 180-plus school districts, with $425 million held by the state Board of Education to address statewide needs. Georgia’s plan calls for deploying state-level academic...

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Tens of thousands march for LGBTQ rights...
BERLIN (AP) — Around 65,000 revelers marched for LGBTQ rights at Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day celebration on Saturday, more than three times as many as expected. It was the biggest demonstration in Berlin since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The parade started with a call from Klaus Lederer, Berlin’s senator for culture, to make the city a “queer-freedom zone” in response to deteriorating safety for gays and lesbians in Hungary and neighboring Poland. “LGBT-free zones” have been...

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Coyotes pick Shane Doan’s son Josh in...
Shane Doan recused himself from any scouting meetings when his son Josh was brought up. One of the faces of the Arizona Coyotes for two decades, Doan is part of their front office now, and only Friday night saw the draft list whittling down to the point he knew it was possible Josh would be their pick. It happened early in the second round Saturday when the Coyotes took Josh Doan with the 37th pick, bringing in a prospect...

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NFL faces playbook full of questions as...
From players getting COVID-19 vaccinations to relaxed coronavirus protocols to lineup issues, particularly at quarterback, the NFL faces a multitude of questions as training camps open. At least in 2021 there is the knowledge — and lessons learned — from completing last season during a pandemic. The league, whose most valuable person in 2020 probably was medical director Dr. Allen Sills, recognizes that while tremendous progress has been made in battling the virus, caution remains crucial. “We’re seeing a...

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The Latest: Osaka lights cauldron at Tokyo...
The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics, which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic: ___ Tennis star Naomi Osaka has lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games, ending the flame’s long journey from Greece to these delayed Olympics. The cauldron sat atop a peak inspired by Mount Fuji. It’s a sphere that opened like a flower, “to embody vitality and hope,” organizers said. A second cauldron has...

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Ex-airman: Guilt over drone strikes prompted to...
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former Air Force intelligence analyst said his guilt over participating in lethal drone strikes in Afghanistan led him to leak government secrets about the drone program to a reporter. Daniel Hale of Nashville, Tennessee, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria after pleading guilty to violating the Espionage Act by leaking top secret documents. In court papers filed Thursday, Hale’s lawyers asked that he receive a 12- to 18-month...

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Mexico opens Olympics with 4-1 victory over...
TOKYO (AP) — Alexis Vega scored the first of four second-half goals for Mexico in a 4-1 victory over France on Thursday in the men’s Olympic soccer tournament. Mexico, which won gold at the 2012 Olympics, had the better chances in the first half but the game was scoreless at the break. Vega scored first in the 47th minute and Sebastian Cordova added a second in the 55th. Andre-Pierre Gignac, who plays for Mexican club Tigres, scored from the...

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Kraken expansion draft showcases Seattle, lacks drama
SEATTLE (AP) — What the expansion draft of the Seattle Kraken lacked in drama it made up for with quirks, production and a giant party to celebrate one of the biggest steps in the launch of the NHL’s newest team. “I envisioned this a lot of different ways and this is unbelievable,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “All the boats on the lake behind us, the scene on the other side of the stage. It’s awesome.” Any unknowns about...

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Russia launches lab module to International Space...
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Wednesday successfully launched a long-delayed lab module for the International Space Station that is intended to provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew. A Proton-M booster rocket carrying the Nauka module lifted off as scheduled at 7:58 pm local time (14:58 GMT) from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The navigational antennas and solar arrays deployed properly after a flawless launch that set the module on an eight-day...

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Greece takes delivery of 1st of 18...
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece took delivery Wednesday of the first of 18 French Rafale fighter jets, part of a major military procurement plan as the country seeks to upgrade its armed forces. Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos attended the delivery ceremony in Istres in southern France, describing it as a “milestone day for the Greek Air Force.” Greece signed a 2.3 billion euro ($2.7 billion) deal in January for the Rafale planes, including 12 used and six new aircraft...

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