New Guardians of the Galaxy: U.S. Space Force military gets official name

The military of the US Space Force received the official name - guardians. This decision of President Donald Trump was announced by US Vice President Mike Pence, writes "Voice of America".

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“I am honored to announce on behalf of the President of the United States that, effective today, the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as Guardians,” Mike Pence said during a ceremony celebrating the service's first year.

“Sailors, soldiers, airmen, marines and guards will defend our country,” said the US vice president. “On behalf of the Commander in Chief, let me encourage each of you Guardians to continue to advance the vision and mission of the United States Space Force, which is for the United States to remain the leader in space that we already are on the ground, in the sea and in the air.”

Following the ceremony, it was reported on the Space Forces Command's Twitter page that the name had been chosen from “hundreds” of proposals and that the issue was being investigated in collaboration with professionals and the public.

Today, after a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public, we can finally share with you the name by which we will be known: Guardians. pic.twitter.com/Tmlff4LKW6

- United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) December 18, 2020

“The name echoes the original theme of the U.S. Air Force Space Command since 1983, which was 'Guardians of the High Frontiers,'” the U.S. Space Force said in a press release.

Decree on the creation of the US Space Force was signed on December 20, 2019 by President Donald Trump, thus creating the sixth branch of the US military. The mission of these troops is to protect American assets in space from threats from Earth.

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In the US Congress, bipartisan lawmakers have pioneered the idea of ​​creating a space force since 2017.

Nuclear space program

On December 16, the White House issued a new space policy directive designed to serve as a strategic roadmap for the development of space nuclear power and propulsion technology. SpaceNews.

The Space Policy Directive (SPD-6), entitled “National Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Technology”, discusses responsibilities and areas of collaboration between federal government agencies in capacity development ranging from ground-based nuclear power systems to nuclear heat engines (SNPP).

“This memorandum establishes a national strategy to ensure that SNPP systems are developed and used, when appropriate, to support and achieve the scientific, intelligence, national, and commercial objectives of the United States,” the document states.

SPD-6 establishes three principles for the development of space nuclear systems: safety, security and sustainability. It also describes the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved in the development, use or oversight of such systems.

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However, much of this document is a road map for the development of nuclear power and propulsion systems. It sets a goal of developing the uranium fuel reprocessing capabilities needed for surface propulsion and space propulsion systems by the mid-2020s. By the mid-to-late 2020s, NASA will have completed development and testing of a ground-based nuclear power system for lunar missions that can be scaled up for subsequent missions to Mars.

SPD-6 calls for the "technical foundations and capabilities" needed for nuclear thermal propulsion systems to be in place by the late 2020s. It also aims to develop advanced radioisotope power systems—versions of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) long used on NASA missions—by 2030.

Many of the initiatives described in SPD-6 are already underway. NASA is working with the Department of Energy (DOE) on a project called Kilopower to develop land-based nuclear reactors, including proposals to develop a reactor for use on the moon. NASA is also studying a nuclear thermal propulsion system. This initiative was supported by Congress and allocated funding for NASA's space technology program.

“We have individual initiatives—nuclear thermal and Kilopower—and all we're trying to do is put together a common operating picture for the Department of Defense, NASA and the Department of Energy,” a senior administration official said, referring to SPD-6.

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Ground-based nuclear power is needed in the near future to support lunar missions later this decade, especially to cope with a two-week lunar night. The nuclear thermal propulsion system, as well as alternative nuclear electric propulsion systems, are less important as they are primarily intended to support later missions to Mars.

“These things are important for going to Mars,” the official said of nuclear propulsion, “but first we're doing all the things that are important for missions to the Moon and using Earth's capabilities and technologies to get a foothold there.”

Another issue addressed in SPD-6 is the use of different types of uranium. The 2018 tests under the Kilopower program used highly enriched uranium (HEU). This project, as well as discussions at NASA and the US Department of Energy on the use of HEU in flying reactors, have raised concerns in the nuclear non-proliferation community. They were concerned that it could set a precedent for resuming production of HEU, which is also used in nuclear weapons.

SPD-6 restricts but does not prohibit the use of HEU in space nuclear systems.

“We don't want to necessarily rule out HEU, but if that's the only way to accomplish the mission, we want to be very careful,” a senior administration official said.

The policy, according to one official, "sets an extremely high bar" for non-defense use of HEU in space systems.

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