US TRANSCOM working on 'space shipping routes' to transport weapons in 60 minutes

Pentagon's Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) that tied up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and aerospace firm xArc, said that its military team was working on the prospect of 'shipping routes' in space that can dispatch cargo which otherwise takes up to 15 hours via military’s cargo plane. Commander at US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Gen. Stephen Lyons said while speaking at the National Defense Transportation Association's Fall Meeting that its military team was in process of building a prototype for a reusable 7,500mph rocket that can carry weaponry, with up to 80 tonnes of cargo, anywhere in the world within 60 minutes with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Speaking at the virtual meeting at the command’s headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, US Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons said that the command was looking to quickly move critical logistics during time-sensitive contingencies in order to deliver humanitarian assistance which will help protect and sustain the Joint Force. Further, he informed that USTRANSCOM’s partnership with Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc) will help the army achieve national objectives that aim at rapid transportation through space as an emerging military capability. 

“Think about moving an equivalent C-17 payload anywhere on the globe within 60 minutes,” Commander Lyons said.  “Think about that speed associated with the movement of transportation of cargo and people.

There is a lot of potential here and I'm really excited about the team that's working with SpaceX on an opportunity, even perhaps, as early as 21, to be conducting a proof of principle,” he added, in a USTRANSCOM’s release.

According to the Transportation Command, military operations face challenges related to distance and time with respect to global access to weaponry and help. Operations in Pacific Ocean theatre alone transit 10,000 miles, one way, that consumes humungous time, technical and cost barriers. Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets will have a speed of 7500 miles per hour (approximately 12070 kilometers an hour) that will charge in orbit with 80 metric tons of cargo (80,000 kilograms).

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"The potential of space transportation to deliver Defense Department cargo anywhere in the world in an hour provides an additional option to complement USTRANSCOM's strategic sealift and airlift capabilities,” stated U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nirav Lad, principal investigator for Space Transportation Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, USTRANSCOM’s Strategic Plans, Policy, and Logistics Directorate. 

CRADA-like partnership

While the CRADA partnership of USTRANSCOM is investigating the legal, diplomatic, statutory, and regulatory issues to enable the high-frequency, point-to-point, commercial space launches with the help of SpaceX’s machines, USTRANSCOM is looking at the logistics and distribution. As per the US military, the partnership will allow USTRANSCOM  to enable both business and return on investment for government and commercial entities like the agreements existing in Civil Reserve Air Fleet’s (CRAF) emergency preparedness programs. During the national defense-related crisis, CRAF’s co-operative bodies, the Department of Transportation, DOD, and the US civil air carrier volunteer aircraft to the CRAF program via its USTRANSCOM agreements. A prototype will begin in 2021, the command informed. 

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(Image Credit: Twitter/USTRANSCOM)