New Rockets, On Sale: For certain kinds of launch vehicles, the price of getting to orbit may be coming down substantially given new entrants in the industry, Space Command chief Gen. William Shelton said Tuesday. In a press conference at AFA’s Air & Space Conference, Shelton said “we’re confident and hopeful” of “considerable reductions” in launch costs in the near future; possibly as early as next year. Although “there are all kinds of promises out there [about lower costs], if you listen to the launch provider, they say that at half the cost, they can provide equal capability.” He’s skeptical of such a steep price cut, though. “We believe that once you add what we would require for mission assurance, what we would require for reliability purposes, that’s probably a bridge too far.” If a 50 percent cut is really possible, “sign me up,” Shelton said. But “I would hope for a number of between 25 and 50 percent.” He said “I think that’s what’s achievable. … If we don’t achieve it in this first buy that we’re going to award in 2013, I would think I the next buy beyond that, we’re looking at significant reductions in cost.”
Pentagon Puts Greenland Under US Northern Command
June 17, 2025
The Pentagon has given U.S. Northern Command responsibility for U.S. military operations in and near Greenland after President Donald Trump expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory. Defending Greenland was previously the responsibility of U.S. European Command. But Greenland, an icy island in the High North between North America and…