Early work in the US
We should stop bewailing the fact that our beloved space travel idea is being pulled into the capacious maw of the military. It is certainly deplorable that the world is faced with a grave new crisis, but we should eventually realize that this is beyond our control. The old idea of human flight is still alive notwithstanding the fact that the airplane has been abused for destructive purpose.” -Von Braun, "Willhite" (2007)
After moving to the United States, Von Braun hoped to focus more on scientific space exploration, however he was immediately set to start working at the Fort Bliss military base. Although this was not his primary goal, he took a similar position as he did in Germany by accepting that military resources would be the only way for his long term ideas to be achieved.
Huntsville, Alabama
At the beginning of the Korean War in 1950 Von Braun and his team were transferred to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. This would be his home for the next 20 years. Von Braun was the head of the Rocket Development team. Their work led to the Redstone Rocket which was the U.S. primary nuclear ballistic missile. The work on the Redstone Rocket and Jupiter-C later led to the West's first satellite, Explorer 1. This satellite was a big step forward towards research based application. These years were frustrating for Von Braun, as the Soviet Rocket program pushed forward and launched Sputnik, while the U.S. government showed little interest in space exploration.
The establishment of a man made satellite, no matter how humble, would be a scientific achievement of tremendous impact. Since it is a project that could be realized within a few years with rocket and guided missile experience available now, it is only logical to assume that other countries could do the same. It would be a blow to U.S. prestige if we did not do it first” -Von Braun