SpaceX To Develop High-Speed Rocket To Transport US Army Weapons

Key Highlights:

• SpaceX collaborating with US army to build a rocket used to transport weapons.
• Second deal signed within a span of 6 months.
• Head of the US Transportation Command General Stephen Lyons said Elon Musk’s SpaceX has signed a deal to build a high-speed rocket that could transport the equivalent of a C-17 payload at a speed of 7,500 mph.

SpaceX is now collaborating with the US army to build a rocket that could transport weapons systems anywhere on the globe in merely 60 minutes. This comes days after Elon Musk’s SpaceX inked a USD 149 million contracts with Pentagon to develop missile-tracking satellites.

Initial tests can be expected by as early as 2021, Gen Stephen Lyons said adding, “Think about moving the equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hour.” He was referring to the maximum payload that can be carried by US military transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster which costs USD 218 million per aircraft and can fly at a top speed of 590 mph.

In comparison, the proposed high-speed rocket SpaceX is planning to build will be able to travel at 7,500 mph, according to The Times. This essentially means that a journey from Florida in the US to Afghanistan could be covered in an hour with a payload the equivalent of what a C-17 Globemaster can carry. As per the US Air Force’s official website, a C-17 Globemaster can carry a payload of over 74,000 kilograms.

In September, SpaceX signed a deal with the US space force, enabling it to reuse rockets to carry national security payloads. Reports at the time had pointed out that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will reuse a Falcon 9 booster to carry the fifth GPS III satellite to orbit in 2021. This deal is expected to save the US Space Force at least USD 52.7 million in a single launch.