Even with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is still active in working on their space programs and making sure they are the dominant power up in the solar system. Recently, the US announced that the people serving in the newly formed Space Force will be referred to as ‘Guardians,’ as of Dec. 19.
The United States Space Force, founded in December 2019, is the space service branch of the US armed forces. It is the smallest branch of the armed forces with just 4,000 members. Due to the recent founding and the small member count, many people still don’t know about the Space Force. However, it is an important branch as they are in charge of maintaining and protecting the satellites out in space that people use so much on a daily basis down on Earth. It was also created at a time when China and Russia are competing with the US for dominance in space.
The news was first released when US Vice President Mike Pence announced the Guardians at the United States Space Force’s first birthday celebration. “It is my honour, on behalf of the United States, to announce that henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as Guardians,” he said at the time. “Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians will be defending our nation for generations to come.”
The Space Force reacted to the new name of ‘Guardians’ on Twitter, saying, “The opportunity to name a force is a momentous responsibility. Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier.’ The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture to the important mission we execute 24/7, protecting the people and interest of the US and its allies.” The force also has a new hashtag, #SuperSupra, which is a Latin motto meaning, ‘always above.’
Having a space force will have a significant meaning in the future because with technology and transportation advancing, space now seems to be an inevitable part of the human race’s future. With influential people like Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos trying to make space a destination for everyone, having control over space could bring great benefits, though the future of space and the space force is not completely clear. US intel agencies also only have 180 days to reveal what they know about UFOs because of the new spending bill that passed last month, which is something interesting.
The space force was something that President Trump and his administration created, and as tweeted by the president himself, “The authorization and start up of the space force will be seen as one of the Trump Administration’s great achievements.”
However, with the results of the election and President-Elect Joe Biden set to replace Trump and his administration later this month, the future of the force is uncertain. The Associated Press has reported that Biden has yet to reveal his plans for the space force in his administration, so time will tell what happens after the shifting in power.
