Space Force ponders rockets to quickly move critical cargo around the world

A new Space Force program will study the feasibility of using large commercially developed rockets to quickly launch and deliver needed cargoes to military hotspots and other destinations around the world in a fraction of the time, officials announced Friday.

While SpaceX is the only company currently launching orbit-class rockets capable of landing and reuse, Greg Spanjers, manager of the Rocket Cargo program at the Air Force Research Laboratory, said multiple companies have the necessary technology or are actively developing it. In addition, a rocket would not necessarily have to land to deliver critical cargo. It might simply "air drop" material after reaching its destination anywhere in the world.