(Newswire.net — July 3, 2017) — The US House Armed Service Committee has voted to create a US ‘Space Corps,” a new branch of the armed forces that would focus on threats from space.
According to Mike Rogers, a Republican representative of Alabama, a plan has been worked out in detail. A proposal has been developed since the publication of the Rumsfeld Commission report in 2001, which outlined the future US space strategy.
“We started working on it vigorously in September, and we’ve had countless meetings with a number of experts who have advised us as to how this should be construed,” Rogers stated, explaining that everything relied on the Rumsfeld Commission theory.
The US Space Corps would establish a unique space command that would involve Air Force’s secretive X-37B spaceplane.
The Boeing X-37, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable unmanned spacecraft. The space drone can fly autonomously or be operated from an air base. It is designed for various missions in space.
On November 17, 2006, the US Air Force announced that it would develop its own variant of NASA’s X-37A.
The Air Force version of NASA’s X-37A was designated as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV). Partnering with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing has been selected as the main contractor for the project.
The Space Corps program has not yet been granted full approval, but it is set to incorporate all current US space missions.
“There’s a whole lot of work we need to do before we go as far as creating a new service branch,” said Michael Turner, claiming he only heard about the Space Corps last week.
“We have not had Secretary Mattis come before us and tell us what this means,” Turner said.
The X-37B is due for launch again in August and if the ‘Space Corps’ goes ahead, it should be established by 2019.