US troops undergoing military investigations, to use Elon Musk’s rockets to rush into Africa
The US military is investigating using Elon Musk’ s reusable SpaceX rockets and vehicles to rush soldiers to Africa at short notice in case its embassies are attacked. US Transportation Command, which falls under the Pentagon, entered into a research and development agreement with SpaceX in March 2020 to probe the feasibility of transporting equipment and…
The US military is investigating using Elon Musk’s reusable SpaceX rockets and vehicles to rush soldiers to Africa at short notice in case its embassies are attacked.
US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), which falls under the Pentagon, entered into a research and development agreement with SpaceX in March 2020 to probe the feasibility of transporting equipment and personnel to global hotspots without needing to refuel or make stops.
Now, new documents published by The Intercept show that one of the scenarios being considered by the Pentagon is using SpaceX’s Starship to hurry a “quick reaction force” to far-flung corners of the globe.
“A rapid theater direct delivery capability from the US to an African base would prove extremely important in supporting the Department of State’s mission in Africa,” USTRANSCOM said in a report obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Pentagon said that successful point-to-point space transportation could even deter “non-state actors from aggressive acts toward the United States”.
It is also looking at using the rockets to quickly deliver deployable air bases, in addition to more traditional strategic airlift requirements.
Sections of the report dealing with costs were redacted.
USTRANSCOM said its study was looking at transporting cargo and personnel via Starship over the next five to ten years.
Mission to Mars
SpaceX describes the Starship, which is still in development, as a “fully reusable transportation system” designed to carry crew and cargo into the earth’s orbit, to the moon, and even to Mars.
According to SpaceX it will be able to carry 100 tons into Earth Orbit, which is more than can be transported by a C-17 Globemaster III, the current main cargo aircraft of the US military.
While the globe Globemaster flies at around 800km/h and may need refuelling stops to reach its destinations, USTRANSCOM believes that the Starship would be able to fly to anywhere on earth in under 60 minutes.
“Not every operation will call for logistics through space, but when we need to respond faster, or assure access in challenging environments, we recognize that space now offers a toolkit, not just a concept,” Vice Admiral Dee Mewbourne, the deputy commander of USTRANSCOM, said in a statement last year.
Source: Fin 24
