A military unit isolated on a Pacific island could face a brutal logistics problem: ammunition and food running low while enemy fire blocks planes, helicopters and ships. The Air Force is testing whether a massive rocket launched from the United States could deliver those supplies in less than 90 minutes.

That vision moved closer to reality last week when the Air Force Research Laboratory tested its “Rocket Cargo” concept. The effort centers on moving critical military supplies across vast distances without relying on conventional roads, runways or ports.

The test placed one of the laboratory’s “agile cargo pods” aboard a SpaceX Starfall capsule. The capsule launched Oct. 20 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and traveled into space.

Air Force researchers used the flight to examine how the stresses of spaceflight affect military cargo. The tested payload included MREs, water, portable tools and electronics, all items that could be vital to troops operating in isolated or contested locations.

The broader concept blends science fiction scale with a practical military requirement. A rocket launched from the United States could carry tons of rations, ammunition, emergency gear or survival equipment and theoretically reach any location on Earth within an hour.

Last week’s test involved a fairly small container, but Air Force leaders have described a much larger eventual objective. The goal is to launch an amount of cargo equivalent to what a C-17 can carry.

According to the laboratory, the system “could one day support rapid global mobility to contested environments and austere sites without access to runways and roads, including contested logistics, expeditionary operations, rescue operations, disaster relief, and response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards.”

The specific capsule launched Oct. 20 carried survival equipment alongside several specialized systems. Those items included a SATCOM enabled tracker, a reverse osmosis desalinator and batteries, according to the Air Force.

“This was a critical achievement to demonstrate the potential of Rocket Cargo delivery for point-to-point rapid global mobility for the Future Force,” Adam Remaly, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Technology Transition Office, said in the announcement.

The Air Force has been examining the Rocket Cargo concept for some time rather than treating the latest launch as a standalone experiment. The Air and Space forces have awarded more than $100 million in research and test contracts to several aerospace companies.

The rocket work is part of a wider military push to improve resupply options for forward deployed troops and forces operating in contested territory. Another central objective is reducing the danger faced by the logistics forces responsible for moving supplies.

Many of those military experiments have concentrated on smaller ground or aerial drones. Rocket Cargo takes the same basic logistics challenge and explores whether spaceflight can provide another route into difficult operating environments.

The expanding interest in military launches also comes as the Space Force considers its launch infrastructure. Earlier this month, a top Space Force general said the service needs a third spaceport to support its launch goals.

The Pentagon currently operates two spaceports. One is located at Cape Canaveral, while the other operates at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant said last week that a third spaceport was “aspirational,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. For now, the Oct. 20 test gives researchers another opportunity to evaluate whether rocket delivered cargo can become a practical tool for future forces.