Advanced missiles can travel halfway around the world in minutes to strike an enemy. The Air Force wonders if they could also be used to help an ally.

The US Air Force wants to see if it can send military supplies to its own units and allies thousands of miles away on rockets, instead of via traditional cargo planes.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) earlier this week conducted an experiment involving so-called “rocket cargo” during a commercial rideshare launch with SpaceX from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

Researchers used a SpaceX capsule equipped with experimental cargo pods and specialized instrumentation to carry out the test. 

What Is the Air Force’s “Rocket Cargo” Plan?

The “Rocket Cargo” program is an AFRL research and development initiative that examines the feasibility of transporting supplies using large commercial rockets. The idea is conceptually simple, if futuristic and logistically difficult: a cargo load is launched into space and returned to a different location on Earth, potentially thousands of miles away. In much the same way that an ICBM missile can hit a target halfway around the world in a far shorter time than an aircraft equipped with a bomb, a pallet of supplies loaded into a rocket could be delivered to troops in the field in minutes rather than hours or days. 

The Air Force is exploring whether commercial launch systems can support military logistics without the need for a clean-sheet rocket fleet. AFRL is working with multiple commercial companies and small businesses. The laboratory is also evaluating existing commercial reentry capsule technologies; the eventual goal of the program is to transport larger cargo loads per launch.

Here’s What a Rocket Cargo Pod Looks Like

The Air Force’s experiment involved agile cargo pods originally developed by AFRL. The cylinder-shaped capsules were designed to accommodate different types of military and emergency supplies; each pod also contained environmental sensors that were designed to measure conditions during the mission, allowing engineers to collect data on temperature fluctuations, shock loads, and vibration levels during launch and reentry. Following the experiment, testers also examined the general condition and integrity of the equipment being transported.

For the recent test launch, the equipment in the pods included a satellite communications-enabled tracking device, batteries, a reverse-osmosis desalination system, survival equipment, and emergency medical supplies. Researchers paid close attention to whether the sensitive electronic equipment could handle the stresses of rocket transportation. Engineers also considered whether a folded life raft could fit inside the capsule for future experiments. Overall, the goal was to gather data on how best to package the load in real-world implementation.

Functional Rocket Cargo Could Change How Battles Are Fought

If the program is successful, the military ramifications could be significant.

At present, military logistics depends heavily on transport aircraft, airports, ports, roads, and established supply networks that move gear around at a relatively slow pace. Aside from the logistical tempo of keeping these networks running, these facilities aren’t ideal because they are fixed structures that become vulnerable to enemy attack during conflicts.

Thinking ahead to a prospective conflict in the Indo-Pacific, American forces are at a disadvantage with current logistical systems, as the distances in the region are vast, and Chinese missile inventories would no doubt be used to target American fixed infrastructure. The Rocket Cargo concept would be a game-changer for US operations in the dispersed Indo-Pacific compressing logistical timelines and reducing the vulnerabilities of the existing supply network.

Of course, the technology to safely, effectively, and predictably transport cargo from Earth-bound point to point using rocket launches still doesn’t exist; the AFRL program is still in its early stages. But over time, it hopes to change that.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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