SWORDS
The Soldier-Warfighter Operationally Responsive Deployer for Space (SWORDS) program, intended to field a liquid-methane-fueled rocket able to launch satellites weighing 25 kilograms on 24 hours’ notice for $1 million, has been shelved.

The U.S. Army’s efforts to field a rocket for launching small, low-orbiting satellites on short notice continue to come up empty.

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Mike Gruss is the chief content and strategy officer at SpaceNews. From 2013 to 2016 he was a senior reporter at SpaceNews covering military space. Previously, he was editor in chief of Sightline Media Group and worked as a reporter and columnist for...