The US Space Force may be called on to provide security as governments and private companies develop a trillion-dollar economy in Earth's orbit and the Moon, the unit's commanding General John Raymond said in a Defense Department webcast on Tuesday.

"I don't think it's tomorrow. But I would [not] rule it out," Raymond said. "Maybe not today or tomorrow or 10 years from now, but I do believe that if you look towards a space economy that's going to be over a trillion dollars between here and the moon, I really believe there's going to be a role for enhanced security in that domain and the role of the space force is to provide that stability across the domain."

The US is attempting to commercialize low Earth orbit with plans to privatize the International Space Station. NASA officials have also indicated that US-led plans to colonize the Moon could lead to private companies mining the lunar landscape for rare minerals.

The creation of the US Space Force was prompted by Chinese and Russian development of weapons that could be used against satellites, according to US officials.

In addition to China and Russia, the US and India have also demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities in recent decades.

Source: RIA Novosti

Related Links
US Space Force
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NATO to build 'Space Centre' in Germany
Brussels (AFP) Oct 22, 2020
The NATO alliance is to build a headquarters for space operations at its airbase in Ramstein in Germany, to counter a rising Russian and Chinese threat, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. As well as a US airbase, the German facility also houses NATO's Allied Air Command. "Space is of great importance for what we can do on the earth - communications, navigation, cell phones, military communications, transmission of data. And, and a lot of activities on the earth at sea and on ... read more