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The Air Force already uses the private sector to throw satellites into orbit, and of course, they already have rockets for delivering warheads across the globe. But a report by Popular Mechanics suggests that the Air Force wants to use commercial rockets for a more mundane purpose: very fast cargo delivery. As launch prices keep going down and down, delivering cargo to any point on Earth in 30 minutes has apparently become a viable proposition for the U.S Military, even if they're still mulling it over.
Last week, at a military conference outside Dallas, Air Force officials confirmed that the service has met with private space companies to discuss the possibility. "They have talked about moving cargo in space, and we’ve sat down with SpaceX and had that discussion," Gen. Maryanne Miller, the commander of Air Force Material Command, told reporters. Apparently sensing the joy she'd stirred in our hearts, she immediately added, "but it's really just discussion at this point." She also pointed out that the Pentagon hasn't yet put any money on the table. "We won't commit any resources," she said. "But we've committed to work with them to see how quickly they progress." With Blue Origin and Virgin Orbital also discussing the militarization of their suborbital launch hardware, the possibility of this idea making it to reality is legitimate. And that's exciting. Virgin head Richard Branson even made an appearance at the conference.
Last week, at a military conference outside Dallas, Air Force officials confirmed that the service has met with private space companies to discuss the possibility. "They have talked about moving cargo in space, and we’ve sat down with SpaceX and had that discussion," Gen. Maryanne Miller, the commander of Air Force Material Command, told reporters. Apparently sensing the joy she'd stirred in our hearts, she immediately added, "but it's really just discussion at this point." She also pointed out that the Pentagon hasn't yet put any money on the table. "We won't commit any resources," she said. "But we've committed to work with them to see how quickly they progress." With Blue Origin and Virgin Orbital also discussing the militarization of their suborbital launch hardware, the possibility of this idea making it to reality is legitimate. And that's exciting. Virgin head Richard Branson even made an appearance at the conference.
