The US military is developing plans with Elon Musk to build a 7,500mph rocket that can blast 80 tonnes of cargo into space and land it anywhere in the world in about an hour.
General Stephen Lyons, head of US Transportation Command, said that contracts had been signed with Mr Musk’s SpaceX company to assess technical and cost challenges, with the first “proof of principle” tests expected next year. A second aerospace firm, xArc of Texas, has also been signed to join the research programme.
A journey from Cape Canaveral to Bagram airbase in Afghanistan more than 7,000 miles away could be completed within about an hour. A US C-17 Globemaster, a military transport aircraft with a maximum speed of 590mph, takes up to 15
