Joins Fellow Commercial Rocketeers XArc, SpaceX in Rocket-Based Cargo/Personnel Delivery

Blue Origin signed a cooperative agreement with the United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), joining a program to explore its capability for military transportation.

The deal signed sets out cooperative responsibilities and research duties between the two organizations, similar to deals with space launch rivals SpaceX and XArc. The Command is the standard bearer for all cargo and personnel movement throughout the U.S. Military, allowing a unified command to transport over land and sea, through the air, and soon, through space. 

The agreements are hoped to lay the foundation for the TRANSCOM's "Rocket Cargo" program, building a portfolio of launch solutions for anything space-bound under the military umbrella. The Air Force Research Laboratory had headed the Rocket Cargo project, beginning work in earnest in 2021. The program's time has come, following a year of rapid cost drops in the space launch arena. Previous thinking at the lab had held that spaceborne cargo and personnel delivery devices were far too costly for effective military use, but multiple manned flights from Blue Origin's New Shepard and SpaceX's Dragon proved that the future has plenty of launch options to spare. 

The USAF 2022 budget sought $47.9 million for the first round of studies and rocket cargo demonstrations, which will begin by setting out to examine just how the services would use their new rockets to begin with as well as exploring best practices and procedures for rocket use. Initial modeling and simulations will aim to analyze the overall capabilities of commercial rocket options, from cost differentials between space and air cargo transport to the accuracy of pinpoint payload delivery.  

The Laboratory will leverage commercial rocket capabilities under lease agreements for the time being, leaving equipment development in the hands of their designers and operators. The once-fantastical goal of worldwide, "anytime, anywhere" ballistic cargo delivery may finally reach fruition, albeit in a smaller scale than anticipated.

“Not every operation will call for logistics through space, but when we need to respond faster, or assure access in challenging environments, we recognize that space now offers a toolkit, not just a concept,” said Vice Admiral Dee Mewbourne, deputy commander of U.S. Transportation Command. "We want our understanding of space transportation’s potential to keep pace with the technical and operational realities that are being built now,” he said. 

FMI: www.afresearchlab.com