Apr 4, 2025 10:22 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 4, 2025 10:28 PM by C C.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-e...rd-refuge/
INTRO: The U.S. military is seeking to turn a remote Pacific wildlife refuge into a landing site for SpaceX rockets, a move that could ultimately advance military capabilities but could also threaten a rare sanctuary for 1.5 million birds.
The U.S. Space Force last month announced its intention to build two landing pads on Johnston Atoll, an unincorporated U.S. territory consisting of four tiny islands about 800 miles southwest of Honolulu.
The Space Force wants to use the site to test the Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, which aims to expedite the movement of military cargo around the globe by deploying large commercial rockets.
Although the notice of intent did not mention SpaceX, vehicles from Elon Musk’s rocket company would be used for the project, according to a government official familiar with the proposal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
SpaceX did not reply to a request for comment. The company signed a $102 million contract with the government in 2022 and has been working toward a demonstration of the point-to-point transport concept.
Several other companies have research-and-development agreements with the U.S. Transportation Command related to rocket cargo transportation. Among them is Blue Origin, whose owner, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post.
But SpaceX is far ahead of the pack, and its Starship rocket offers far more payload capacity than any other rocket capable of reentry.
In November, Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, joined Musk and the newly elected Donald Trump to watch a Starship test flight out of Texas. Although Musk often talks up the potential for Starship to fly to Mars, he has also said, “I think there’s a pretty good chance that it does Earth-to-Earth transport, as well. … It’s the fastest way to get somewhere.”
SpaceX’s Texas launches have damaged nearby bird nests and eggs, according local environmentalists. But the Space Force said in its notice of intent that it expects the construction and operation of the demonstration project on Johnston to have no significant environmental impact... (MORE - details)
ALTERNATIVE ARTICLE SOURCE (MSN): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolog...r-AA1CiBYH
INTRO: The U.S. military is seeking to turn a remote Pacific wildlife refuge into a landing site for SpaceX rockets, a move that could ultimately advance military capabilities but could also threaten a rare sanctuary for 1.5 million birds.
The U.S. Space Force last month announced its intention to build two landing pads on Johnston Atoll, an unincorporated U.S. territory consisting of four tiny islands about 800 miles southwest of Honolulu.
The Space Force wants to use the site to test the Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, which aims to expedite the movement of military cargo around the globe by deploying large commercial rockets.
Although the notice of intent did not mention SpaceX, vehicles from Elon Musk’s rocket company would be used for the project, according to a government official familiar with the proposal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
SpaceX did not reply to a request for comment. The company signed a $102 million contract with the government in 2022 and has been working toward a demonstration of the point-to-point transport concept.
Several other companies have research-and-development agreements with the U.S. Transportation Command related to rocket cargo transportation. Among them is Blue Origin, whose owner, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post.
But SpaceX is far ahead of the pack, and its Starship rocket offers far more payload capacity than any other rocket capable of reentry.
In November, Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, joined Musk and the newly elected Donald Trump to watch a Starship test flight out of Texas. Although Musk often talks up the potential for Starship to fly to Mars, he has also said, “I think there’s a pretty good chance that it does Earth-to-Earth transport, as well. … It’s the fastest way to get somewhere.”
SpaceX’s Texas launches have damaged nearby bird nests and eggs, according local environmentalists. But the Space Force said in its notice of intent that it expects the construction and operation of the demonstration project on Johnston to have no significant environmental impact... (MORE - details)
ALTERNATIVE ARTICLE SOURCE (MSN): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolog...r-AA1CiBYH