In 2018, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the small, nimble research arm of the Pentagon, challenged the space industry to do what it said “no one has done before”: launch satellites to orbit “on extremely short notice,” in an attempt to make rockets fly as frequently as airplanes. Two years later, DARPA pronounced the effort a failure. Not a single company had been able to meet DARPA’s quick turnaround requirements — another sign of the difficulties of rocketry and just how far it is from becoming the routine service the Pentagon has long wanted it to be. Last week, however, the U.S. Space Force took a significant step toward that goal when Firefly Aerospace, a Texas company, launched a satellite to orbit 27 hours after receiving launch orders. Space Force called it “a new record for responsive space launch.” In a statement, Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, commander of Space Systems Command, said the launch “marks a culture shift in our nation’s ability to deter adversary aggression and, when required, respond with the operational speed necessary to deliver decisive capabilities to our warfighters.” Being able to get spacecraft to orbit quickly is an important capability, Pentagon leaders have said, and something the Defense Department has been pursuing for decades. Now, as space increasingly becomes a warfighting domain, rapid response is even more important, military leaders have said, and the Pentagon is renewing its push to develop rockets and satellites that can be launched into space fast.
Full report : Firefly launch helps Space Force meet 24-hour notice goal.
