Dear China: Sure, You Were Able To Perform Seven Space Launches In Nine Days But The U.S. Has A Secret Weapon...

First up, from SpaceNews, December 16:

China completes seventh space launch inside 10 days

China launched a Long March 11 solid rocket from Xichang early Friday, completing a campaign of seven orbit launch attempts in just over a week which included the debut of two new launch vehicles.

The Long March 11 rocket lifted off at 1:17 a.m. Eastern (0617 UTC) Dec. 16, sending the Shiyan-21 satellite into orbit. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced launch success less than 30 minutes after liftoff.  

Little was revealed about the Shiyan-21 satellite, with CASC stating only that it was developed by its subsidiary, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).

Shiyan series satellites are believed to be used to pilot new technologies in space. State media Xinhua reported that the newly launched satellite will be used for “in-orbit verification of new space technologies,” adding that Shiyan means “experiment” in Chinese.

The launcher was provided by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), another major entity under CASC.

The mission marked the 15th launch of the 20.8-meter-long, 2-meter-diameter and 58-metric-ton four-stage solid Long March 11. Of these, 11 have taken place at national spaceports Jiuquan and Xichang, with four more conducted from converted barges out on the Yellow Sea. The Long March 11 uses a cold launch system, which sees it expelled from its canister before igniting.....

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Meanwhile, from the American Air Force Times:

It began with a pair of sparkly pants.

Around the time he became director of the Pentagon’s Space Security and Defense Program in 2013, Andrew Cox received a framed pair of tight, silver pants as a gag gift. He hung the glittery jeans behind his office door with a note: “Break here in the event of an emergency.”

He occasionally joked that the pants could seduce Washington officials into giving SSDP more funding.

At a workplace holiday party a few years later, Cox received a silver case filled with sex toys and other paraphernalia. And in 2018, the high-ranking civilian donned a “mankini” — over his clothes — that he was given at the office’s “Bad Santa” party, in front of several dozen SSDP employees and their families.

The mankini made at least one other appearance at the office....

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Here BusinessInsider picks up the story:

 

Andrew Cox of Space Force donned a chartreuse green mankini 

over his clothes at work, similar to the one pictured as worn by 

Radio Nova's Mankini 2007 winner, Matias Stevens, in 21 March 2007.

China, ya got no chance.

Deploy the mankinis!

Oh, and deploy Elon too:

SpaceX caps off busy 48 hours with 3 successful rocket launches