Hyperdrive
Satellites Vulnerable to Enemy Attack Spur U.S. Strategy Shift
Reusable vehicles? Check. Next up is blasting off on short notice. The U.S. government is holding a contest to see who does it best.
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In the 1960s, a rocket launch was big news all over the world. Sixty years later, it’s still a big deal. Sure, SpaceX has leaped forward with reusable vehicles, but the ability to make space travel a reliable, everyday event remains far off.
The U.S. government and some private companies want to change that. The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is putting up $10 million to encourage launch firms to get faster and nimbler about traveling to space. The goal of the Rapid Launch Challenge is to hurl a small satellite into orbit with only a day’s notice—or less—from virtually anywhere in the country. In doing so, the agency hopes to accomplish a necessary next step in humankind’s path to other worlds.