When rockets meet rookeries, who prevails? Johnston Atoll—a remote Pacific wildlife refuge harboring 1.5 million seabirds—faces an existential quandary as the U.S. Air Force advances plans to transform part of this ecological haven into landing pads for SpaceX rockets. The Department of Air Force (DAF) and U.S. Space Force announced in March their selection of Johnston Atoll—located approximately 825 miles southwest of Hawaii—to test their ambitious Rocket Cargo Vanguard program. The military envisions revolutionizing logistics by delivering up to 100 tons of cargo globally within 90 minutes using commercial reusable rockets. SpaceX’s Starship, currently the only vehicle matching these specifications, … Continue reading Johnston Atoll Rocket Pads Threaten 1.5M Seabirds and U.S. Wildlife Refuge Recovery