We could soon see militarised Starships blasting off for orbit under ambitious new proposals by the US Pentagon.
The Pentagon has reportedly partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to look at the possibility of using the company's reusable rockets to send military supplies into orbit.
The idea is that it would be able to drop supplies anywhere in the world within 60 minutes without the need for a cargo plane, giving the US military an incredible rapid response tool.
US Transportation Command, which is part of the Pentagon, says it could "quickly move critical logistics during time-sensitive contingencies" and "deliver humanitarian assistance".
The space launches would primarily focus on transporting military cargo, but the Pentagon has also hinted at sending 'personnel' into the stratosphere.
A report identifies three potential uses of space transportation for the US military, including:
- 'an alternative method for logistics delivery' in the event of a conflict with China in the Pacific
- deployable air base shelters that could be dropped anywhere on the globe for the US Air Force
- 'embassy support scenarios' in which SpaceX rockets could be used for a 'quick reaction force' if an embassy is ever attacked
It's unclear how closely linked the proposals are to Space Force, the space arm of the US Military founded by the former President, Donald Trump.
Space Force is reportedly working on a patrol force to keep an eye on the Moon as it scans for 'threats'.
Brian Weeden of 'Secure World Foundation', told Ars Technica: "It's the first step for them to be able to know what's going on in cislunar space and then identify any potential threats to US activities."
