At the end of February, satellite images revealed something that had not been made public. Washington was Restoring the Base of the Pacific that launched atomic bombing over Japan, an action nothing trivial with which the United States prepared a “possible” scenario. Now, new images at another Pacific point reinforce the theory of American “rearmament.” An atoll turned into a kind of “Amazon” for the sending of artillery throughout the planet.
Rocket position. The United States Space Force has given green light To the plans to reactivate Johnston Atolla remote island in the Pacific with a dark history of nuclear tests and storage of chemical weapons. The idea? Convert it instead of cargo transport tests by rocket under the program Rocket Cargo Vaguard. The project seeks to develop the ability to transport military supplies to any point on the planet in a matter of hours, using large -capacity rockets.
In fact, the notification of intention (NOI) Published by the Department of the Air Force A few hours ago confirming the construction of two landing platforms on the island and planning up to 10 landing tests per year for four years. The tests are expected to begin as soon as this year, depending on the results of the ongoing environmental evaluation.
Why this island. The analysis of the Air Force Department identified Johnston Atoll as The only adequate location For this type of tests. Other sites evaluatedlike Kwajalein Atoll, Midway Island and Wake Island, were discarded for various operational reasons. Johnston Atoll, on the other hand, was chosen by be a remote territoryunder the control of the United States government with maritime and aerial access, and for its ability to receive and store equipment transported by rocket.
Plus: The island’s location makes it less vulnerable to extreme climatic events, a key concern after Kwajalein It would suffer severe damage Due to storms last year.
The island from the image of NASA
A dark past. We said it at the beginning. Johnston Atoll has a highly controversial military history. The enclave was used as Naval Reporting Baselanding floor and center of Nuclear, biological and chemical tests. Among the most notorious events are nuclear tests in the atmosphere between 1958 and 1975, including The Starfish Prime test In 1962, the largest nuclear explosion made in space. Also for the use of the island as Chemical and Biological Weapons Warehouseand as the center of its destruction until 2003, when it was finally abandoned by the United States Army after completing pollutant cleaning.
Despite its current status as a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the National Marine Monument of the Pacific Islands, the satellite image reveals that the island continues to host abandoned military infrastructuresuch as a 2.7 km landing floor and other facilities that will be reused.
A revolution for military logistics. It is the great proposal. The Rocket Cargo Vaguard program, led by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFR), seeks to prove the viability of using commercial rockets for Global military supplies transport. From at least 2020the Pentagon has explored this technology with the idea of reducing the delivery times of days or weeks just a few hours.
The concept implies the use of reusable rockets to transport up to 100 tons of load Or even personnel to strategic locations in the world, using orbital or suborbital trajectories.
Spacex and the potential use of Starship. And here a code name arises. One of the main candidates for the program is the Spacex starship, the rocket bigger and powerful ever built. In 2022, Spacex received A 102 million contract of dollars to provide flight data and technologies tests for the transport of load and humanitarian aid.
However, to date, Starship tests They have been mixedwith multiple explosions during launch attempts. Despite this, the Pentagon has shown great interest in acquiring Spacex launching systems for sensitive and high -risk missions. General Philip Garrant, commander of the Space Systems Command, declared in November that the use of Starship for the Rocket Cargo program is One of the most logical optionsmainly due to its large load capacity and reusable design.
Future perspectives and expansion. The approval of the environmental assessment next month could open the door in par, not only to evidence of Rocket Cargo Vaguardbut also to the total reactivation of Johnston Atoll as an landing center for other reusable space vehicles.
In fact, we would say that it is almost insured if we take into account that there are practically no locations in the United States that can house rocket landing operations of this scale. No doubt, if the island ends up being approved, it could become A key strategic asset for the United States space force in the development of reusable spatial infrastructure. One, in addition, nothing trivial: a worldwide logistics and ultra -grape center to replenish artillery in records in the appearance of any modern conflict.
Image | POT
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