The Military is Preparing for a ‘Space Superhighway,’ Complete with Pit Stops
Those hubs would do more than refuel spaceships; they are seen as key to staying ahead of China.
By Tara Copp
Senior Pentagon Reporter, Defense One
October 20, 2021
Like any family road trip, future missions to the moon and beyond may require a few pit stops.
U.S. Transportation Command and the U.S. Space Force see a future space superhighway system where the United States, commercial partners, and allies would be able to make repeat, regular trips to the moon or beyond by using multiple hubs where they could gas up, have maintenance done, and even throw out their trash.
Now they’re thinking about getting those orbiting pit stops up and running sooner rather than later. Because it’s not just about making the 238,855-mile lunar journey a little more comfortable. It’s about preventing China from building the hubs first.
“There’s a first-mover advantage here,” Space Force Brig. Gen. John Olson said Wednesday at a panel with TRANSCOM at a National Defense Transportation Association seminar on space logistics.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/10/military-preparing-space-superhighway-complete-pit-stops/186260/
