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15h ago

US Air Force Pauses Environmental Assessment for Johnston Atoll Hypersonic Cargo Tests

The service plans to review other Pacific locations before deciding whether to resume or call off its Vanguard rocket cargo program

A great frigatebird chick scolds neighboring seabirds as they fly past its nest on Johnston Island, within the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2021. Eric Baker/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY /Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Overview

  • A Department of the Air Force announcement confirmed that preparation of the Johnston Atoll environmental assessment has been suspended while alternative sites are evaluated.
  • The Vanguard program is designed to use reusable suborbital rockets to deliver up to 100 tons of supplies anywhere on Earth in about 90 minutes.
  • Johnston Atoll was originally chosen for its strategic value as a forward logistics node supporting potential Asia–Pacific contingencies.
  • Environmental groups and biologists warned that rocket landings would destroy vital seabird nesting habitats and sued for access to assessment records.
  • The Air Force is considering other Pacific atolls including Kwajalein, Midway Island and Wake Island and will publish any decision on restarting or cancelling the review in the Federal Register.