View Seven Ways to Make the LRS-B Program a Success By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter PublishedOctober 27, 2015 Many things can (and often do) go wrong in defense acquisitions, but here are seven things the military, contractor team, and Congress can do to help keep the LRS-B program on track.
View MUOS-5 highlights a critical U.S. vulnerability in space By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 7, 2016 A strange thing happened in July when the U.S. Navy’s MUOS-5 satellite was on its way to geosynchronous orbit. The thruster it was using to raise its orbit stopped working unexpectedly.
View Beyond the RD-180 By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, Evan Linck PublishedMarch 21, 2017 This report explores how the United States came to depend on the Russian RD-180 rocket engine as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, realistic options for the engine’s replacement in the coming decade, and potential space launch acquisition strategies for the future.
View Space Is Booming, America’s Next Heavy-Lift Rocket Should Reflect That By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, Evan Linck PublishedMarch 22, 2017 As the U.S. government leaves the RD-180 rocket engine behind, it should position itself to support and reap the benefits of the growth in orbital markets.
View Options for the Ground-Based Leg of the Nuclear Triad By Todd Harrison, Evan Linck PublishedSeptember 21, 2017 The purpose of this report is to provide an independent assessment of the options available; including the impetus for the program, a review of the Air Force’s analysis of alternatives for the GBSD, alternatives to modernization, and key questions for policymakers to consider as the MDAP moves forward.
View Escalation and Deterrence in the Second Space Age By Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedOctober 3, 2017 The second space age is more diverse, disruptive, disordered, and dangerous than the first. This report discusses the threats to U.S. space systems, deterrence theory in the space domain, and findings from a space crisis exercise.
View Bringing the Air Force into its Centennial By Heather Wilson PublishedOctober 5, 2017 Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson spoke at CSIS on October 5, 2017, outlining the service’s priorities for its major acquisition efforts over the next three decades.
View The Evolution of Space as a Contested Domain By Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedOctober 10, 2017 From the dawn of the first space age, Americans understood the many benefits that could come from the peaceful uses of space and the great harm that could result from hostile uses of space.
View Is Congress Creating a Military Space Corps? By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 8, 2017 The House and Senate’s NDAA compromise has not expressly allowed for a Space Corps to be created, but it has made significant change in the organization of Air Force space assets and crew.
View CBO’s Nuclear Weapons Cost Estimate Is Way Too High; Hint — Bombers By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 21, 2017 The recent estimate on how much the next generation of nuclear weapons will cost by the relentlessly nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office differed from an earlier report by an impressive $800 million.
