Arlington, VA | October 10, 2024 — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is pleased to announce a new entry in its Policy Paper series, Launch: The Fundamental Prerequisite for Space Superiority by Col (Ret.) Charles Galbreath, Senior Fellow for Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE).
At the most fundamental level, the Space Force must have assured access to space to leverage the benefits of the space domain. For systems to create desired effects in, from, and to space, they must first get to space. Moreover, the relationship between the scale and scope of necessary on-orbit architectures and the scale and scope of launch infrastructure is interconnected. Consequently, the nation requires a robust set of launch options. This, in turn, demands developing a national launch enterprise with the right levels of confidence, capacity, cadence, and cost.
Achieving these goals necessitates commitment from Department of Defense leadership and Congress when it comes to both policy and budget decisions. It also compels the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to smartly accept greater levels of risk and to weather inevitable failures inherent on the path to progress. The service must retain a diverse set of launch providers, expand options for launch locations, continue to invest in rocket research and development (R&D), and maintain awareness of consequential supply chain issues. Given the importance and ubiquity of space-based capabilities to both everyday life as well as to the most basic of military operations in support of global safety and security, these efforts should be a national priority.
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.
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