Kathleen Curlee and Lauren Kahn shared their expert analysis in an op-ed published by The National Interest. In their piece, they examine the enduring dangers posed by anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and the long-term risks that space debris presents to satellites, astronauts, and the global space economy.
ASAT weapons are not just tools of targeted destruction. They are generators of enduring, indiscriminate hazards.CSET Research Analyst, Kathleen Curlee and Senior Research Analyst, Lauren Kahn
Curlee and Kahn highlight the systemic threat created by debris-generating ASAT tests, noting that “ASAT weapons are not just tools of targeted destruction. They are generators of enduring, indiscriminate hazards.”
The article cites Curlee’s recent report, “Sustaining the U.S. Edge in Remote Sensing, Launch, and Advanced Technologies for National Securitys,” which examines how U.S. leadership in remote sensing, launch, and advanced space technologies has shaped the global space economy and what it will take to sustain that edge.
It also highlights the authors’ recent data snapshot, “Mapping Space Debris,” which maps each of the over 34,000 pieces of space debris the United States government has tracked since 1958, bringing Earth’s crowded orbits to life.
To read the full op-ed, visit The National Interest.