US Space Force debuts first recruitment ad and previously secret spacecraft

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“Maybe your purpose on this planet isn’t on this planet.”

That is the tagline accompanying the US Space Force‘s recruiting ad that appeared on Twitter on Wednesday.

The 30-second commercial is a montage of young people looking to the stars, intercut with images of rockets rising from monolith-like hangars, all colour graded the familiar teal and orange of blockbuster action movies.

In addition to the expected military recruitment fare included in the video – stoic service members dutifully doing their part for the cause while looking away from the camera – the ad also includes the first official glimpse of the X37-B reusable space vehicle.

“You may have caught a quick glimpse of the space vehicle, previously cloaked in secrecy, the X37-B,” Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said during a livestream event on which the ad was first revealed. “This reusable space craft has completed five missions.”

The US Space Force – which was founded on 20 December, 2019 by order of president Donald Trump – will be in charge of projecting and protecting the US’s global and domestic agendas in all matters relating to space, from missile warning systems to satellite operations.

Reaction to the new branch of the largest military in the history of the world has been mixed; the Space Force was mocked when it revealed its troops would be wearing camouflage – the semi-sarcastic implication being that camo would not be especially useful in space. The military organisation won a second round of ribbing after its logo was revealed and observers noted the emblem looked suspiciously like that of Star Trek’s Starfleet Command.

A show parodying the US military‘s latest addition – aptly titled “Space Force” and starring Steve Carell – has already been filmed, and will debut on Netflix on 29 May.

Despite the mockery, Air Force officials claim they’re having no problems finding eager recruits to join its ranks.

“There’s been an avalanche of applicants,” Ms Barrett said during a livestream interview.

Applications for current members of the military who want to transfer into the new branch first opened on 1 May. That recruitment period will continue for the remainder of the month.