Updated December 19th, 2020 at 08:34 IST
US Space Force announces name for its professionals, calls them 'Guardians'
Vice President Mike Pence, who addressed the nation ahead of the services' first birthday on December 20 said it was his honour to announce the name
Advertisement
The United States Space Force on December 18(local time) announced that its professionals would be known as ‘Guardians’ from now on. This comes months after the services called for name suggestions from people asking them what their operatives be called. Established in December 2019, the US Space Force is the newest branch of American uniformed services.
Today, after a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public, we can finally share with you the name by which we will be known: Guardians. pic.twitter.com/Tmlff4LKW6
— United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD)
Citing the reason behind the name, US Space Force said that ‘Guardian’ had a long history in space operations and traces back its origins to original command motto of Air Force Space Command ‘Guardians of High Frontier’. The name also reflected the duty of the professionals, that is to protect the interest of citizens, the US and its allies.
Vice President Mike Pence, who addressed the nation ahead of the services' first birthday on December 20 said it was his honour to announce the name. “Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians will be defending our nation for generations to come,” he said at a White House ceremony celebrating the Space Force’s upcoming birthday.
"From the first days of our Administration, President Donald Trump called for American leadership in Space and for the first time in more than 70 years, a new branch of the Armed Forces was added."
It was my honor to announce today, that the men and women of the Space Force will be known as GUARDIANS! #SemperSupra 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Wbzmqfy9aJ
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence)
Read: Space Force OKs Used SpaceX Rockets For Upcoming GPS Satellite Launches
To use SpaceX rockets
This comes as SpaceX signed a new deal with US Space Force allowing reuse of rockets. Marking a first, Elon Musk signed a contract modification with the US Space Force allowing two upcoming GPS satellite launches to use Falcon 9 boosters with preflown first stages. According to space.com, this new deal would lead to saving of $53 million of the taxpayer’s money across two space flights.
“SpaceX is proud to leverage Falcon 9's flight-proven benefits and capabilities for national security space launch missions," SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement emailed out by the Space Force
Read: US Space Force Deploys To Vast New Frontier: Arabian Desert
Read: NASA, Space Force Sign An Agreement To Collaborate
Advertisement
Published December 19th, 2020 at 08:34 IST