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US Air Force suspends SpaceX rocket project on Pacific atoll: Report
JOHNSTON ATOLL, JUL 4 – The suspension follows expert concerns about harm to 14 seabird species at the wildlife refuge and prompts the Air Force to seek alternative test sites, officials said.
- This week, the U.S. Air Force halted its planned collaboration with SpaceX to conduct trials involving the delivery of cargo via hypersonic rockets from Johnston Atoll, a remote area in the Pacific.
- Environmental concerns raised by biologists about harm to seabirds nesting on the one-square-mile atoll led to the project's suspension and delay of its draft environmental assessment.
- The suspended initiative aimed to test reusable rocket vehicles capable of transporting up to 100 tons of supplies to any global destination in roughly an hour and a half, with the goal of revolutionizing military supply chains.
- In April, the U.S. Space Command designated $13.6 billion for military satellite launches over five years, awarding $5.9 billion to SpaceX, with auditors cautioning that existing government launch facilities are outdated and increasingly under pressure from the rising frequency and scale of launches.
- The suspension raises questions about this high-value contract as the Air Force explores alternative locations, while auditors recommend updated regulations to better fund infrastructure improvements.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Air Force rethinking Rocket Cargo testing location
The Air Force Research Laboratory is looking at whether it can sufficiently test its Rocket Cargo transport program somewhere other than the originally planned Johnston Atoll, according to a Federal Register notice posted today. The Air Force had been preparing an environmental assessment to build two landing pads at the uninhabited U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean to test and demonstrate Rocket Cargo. That announcement, made in March, said t…
Johnston Atoll Spared From SpaceX Rocket Plans
A remote Pacific wildlife refuge, once targeted for SpaceX rocket testing, has been spared—at least for now—as the Air Force backs away from controversial plans amid mounting pressure from conservationists and Indigenous groups, Popular Science reports. The US Department of the Air Force has confirmed it will not...
US Air Force halts SpaceX rocket programme over reason Musk once swore off omelettes
Biologists and conservationists earlier raised concerns that rocket landings could severely disrupt nesting grounds for 14 tropical seabird species, including red-tailed tropicbirds, white terns, and boobies, on Johnston Atoll
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