Rocket Cargo

This article is about the U.S. military program. For cargo of rockets, see payload.

Rocket Cargo is a United States Space Force program run through the Air Force Research Laboratory for suborbital spaceflight rocket-delivered cargo involving point-to-point space travel. The program is to develop the capability to rapidly send cargo anywhere in the world on a rocket. It would involve reusable rockets that can perform propulsive landings on a variety of landing sites, to deliver a C-17's worth of cargo in an hour. The program was discussed in 2020 and announced in 2021, with a budget allocation request for Fiscal Year 2022.^[1][2][3]

Rocket Cargo illustration

History

In the 1960s, the military studied using Douglas Ithacus T-100 rockets to rocket off aircraft carriers to deliver marines to theatres.^[4]

In 2018, the Air Force started studying delivering cargo via rockets.^[5] In 2020, U.S. Transportation Command consulted with SpaceX on the delivery of 100 tons of cargo via rocket anywhere in the world in under 1 hour with Starship.^[6] In 2021, the Pentagon announced the Rocket Cargo program, with the U.S. Space Force as the lead service on the program. $9.7 million U.S. dollars were allocated to Rocket Cargo in FY21.^[6][5] The Pentagon Budget Office has requested $48 million US for FY 2022 for the program.^[6] In 2022, the Department of the Air Force awarded a $102 million, 5-year contract to SpaceX to demonstrate technologies and capabilities to transport military cargo and humanitarian aid around the world.^[7]

As of 2024, the Air Force and SpaceX aim to perform a demonstration mission as early as 2026 using SpaceX's Starship launch vehicle.^[8] The Department of Defense has planned a test with Starship as part of their program to demonstrate the ability to rapidly deploy up to 100 tons of cargo and supplies, a capability it calls point to point delivery (P2PD). The test is envisioned to take place in FY25 or FY26.^[9]

Objectives

The program is an Air Force Research Laboratory "Vanguard" program, a top importance science and technology research and development program. At the time of announcement, it was one of four such programs for the United States Department of the Air Force. The program is to examine modifying existing commercially available hardware for the program objectives. It would involve moving approximately a C-17 Globemaster III's worth of cargo or approximately 100 short tons (91 tonnes), anywhere in the world in under 1 hour. It would use a propulsively-landing reusable rocket that would transport cargo from source to destination, landing in all kinds of environments.^{[6][2][3][10][5]}

See also

• Prompt Global Strike
• Rocket mail—delivery of mail by rocket
• SpaceX Starshield, other involvement of the military with SpaceX
• Starlink in the Russo-Ukrainian War

References

1. Michael Sheetz (4 June 2021). "The Pentagon wants to use private rockets like SpaceX's Starship to deliver cargo around the world". CNBC. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
2. Brett Tingley (13 October 2020). "The Military's Puzzling Plan To Have SpaceX Deliver A C-17's Worth Of Cargo Anywhere In An Hour (Updated)". The Drive. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
3. William Harwood (4 June 2021). "Space Force ponders rockets to quickly move critical cargo around the world". CBS News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
4. Joseph Trevithick (1 June 2021). "Rocket Delivery Of Cargo Anywhere In An Hour In New Air Force Budget Proposal". The Drive. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
5. "The Air Force wants rocket deliveries to anywhere on Earth in under an hour". Air Force Times. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
6. Kyle Mizokami (4 June 2021). "The Air Force Wants to Drop 100 Tons of Cargo From Space". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
7. Sandra Erwin (19 January 2022). "SpaceX wins $102 million Air Force contract to demonstrate technologies for point-to-point space transportation". SpaceNews.
8. Erwin, Sandra (1 February 2024). "Air Force rocket cargo initiative marches forward despite questions about feasibility". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
9. Hitchens, Theresa (4 June 2024). "ROC Stars: Air Force seeks more firms for cargo delivery via rocket". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
10. Doug Cameron (4 June 2021). "Pentagon Envisions Using Cargo Rockets". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.

Further reading

• "Will The US Military Use SpaceX Rockets To Transport Cargo?". Scott Manley. 5 June 2021.