General John Raymond, commander of the U.S. Space Command and Commander of the Air Force Space Command, speaks at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, September 16, 2019.
Technology Sgt. Armando Schwier-Morales | United States Air Force
WASHINGTON – The country’s top general who leads the US military mission in space said on Wednesday that he is excited about Wall Street and billionaire investments in the space industry, which has sparked renewed interest in the field among Americans and strong recruitment in the United States. Pentagon’s youngest branch.
“America has space in every industry,” said General John Raymond, chief of operations for the U.S. Space Force, when asked by CNBC about the advances made by private space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
“I’ve already talked about people knocking on our door wanting to join the Space Force in greater numbers than we have vacancies to fill. I’ve already talked about how universities are seeing more students applying for space STEM degrees, which I think will be great for our nation. “added Raymond.
“I am excited about all of this, both with what we are doing here in national security and with what is happening in the commercial industry so that we can take advantage,” said the four-star general, without specifically naming any company.
“The United States has always understood for a long time that we are stronger with a secure and stable space domain and all of these sectors participate in this,” said Raymond.
The United States Space Force, the Pentagon’s youngest arm, has increasingly sought partnerships with the private sector as companies and investors enter the space industry. The Pentagon is closely monitoring the progress of rocket builders like Rocket Lab, Astra and Virgin Orbit, in addition to SpaceX.
Raymond’s comments came in the wake of SpaceX’s announcement this week, which will put its first fully civilian crew into orbit later this year, a mission known as Inspiration 4.
The historic flight, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, aims to use world-class space tourism to garner support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Three unannounced passengers will accompany Isaacman on the multi-day journey around the Earth, with two of the seats to be decided in public online competitions this month.
Raymond also summoned NASA’s Crew-1 mission, which was the first operational launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
“If you look at what’s happening in the civilian sector with the launch of American astronauts and this latest launch of a Japanese American astronaut on a commercial launch vehicle, there is a lot of excitement there,” he said.
Raymond did not provide a reaction to the test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Tuesday, which resulted in an explosion while attempting to land.
The spacecraft’s SN9 prototype was successfully launched at about 33,000 feet, but, like the previous prototype flight in December, the rocket crashed into the ground while trying to land.
Private investment in space companies last year set a new annual record, despite industry fears that the Covid-19 pandemic would end the momentum of the past decade, according to a report by Space Capital last month. Rocket and satellite builders raised $ 8.9 billion in 2020, with venture capital and angel investors continuing to pour funds into space businesses.