Iraqi president Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait in early August 1990. ... Hussein defied United Nations Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait by mid-January 1991, and the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm.
The Gulf War, which lasted between August 1990 and February 1991, was an international conflict that erupted after Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussain, invaded neighboring Kuwait, claiming it as its “19th province”. After Hussain defied UN warnings, the US and its allies forced Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
The United States didn't want to stay behind, so it increased funding for its own space program in order to be more productive and launch more satellites.<span />
