Arlington, VA | July 25, 2024 — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is pleased to announce a new entry in its Policy Paper series, Small Satellites: Answering the Call for Space Superiority by Col (Ret.) Charles Galbreath, Senior Fellow for Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence, with Aidan Poling, Senior Research Analyst.
To face growing threats in space, the United States must have the tools to achieve space superiority and deliver on the tenets of Competitive Endurance—Avoid Operational Surprise, Deny First Mover Advantage, and Conduct Responsible Counterspace Campaigning. The combination of mature technologies, lower launch costs, and increasing threats create a fleeting window of opportunity for the United States to field an architecture with SmallSats to achieve the necessary capabilities to gain and maintain space superiority.
The Space Force, Congress, and the industrial base must adjust old paradigms built around large, legacy space systems with long and costly development timelines and move toward a hybrid approach that includes both SmallSats and large, exquisite satellite systems that balance mission requirements, resilience, and the ability to operate in a contested space domain. Failing to operationalize SmallSats will thwart the Space Force’s mandate of achieving space superiority and undermine U.S. deterrence. Given the adversary threat and the critical role that space plays for the United States and its allies, this is a critical juncture the nation must navigate wisely.
The Mitchell Institute Policy Papers is a series presenting new thinking and policy proposals to respond to the emerging security and aerospace power challenges of the 21st century. These papers are written for lawmakers and their staffs, policy professionals, business and industry, academics, journalists, and the informed public.
For media inquiries, email our publications team at publications.mitchellaerospacepower@afa.org
Copies of Policy Papers can be downloaded at https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/publications