The name was chosen based on suggestions from members of the Space Force, known colloquially as “space professionals” since the service was founded on December 20, 2019.
When choosing a name, General Jay Raymond, the head of space operations, previously shot down suggestions for something like “ aviator, ” saying it was important to choose a gender-neutral name for a service to be established in 2020 .
Some on Twitter immediately associated the name with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies.
“Lolol big Groot energy” someone wrote, referring to one of the characters.
Alex Ward, a White House reporter for Vox, noted the resemblance to a particular media outlet.
“BREAKING: UK Newspaper Changes Name To The Space Force,” he tweeted.