Sputnik Research Paper

Every day, millions of people depend on energy and technology, from water to electricity, to computers and the internet. We have taken it as an everyday dependency, a way of life. What many do not realize, is that satellite technology is what is giving us such access to communications, commerce, education, energy, and networking in the easiest way possible. Every single time we turn on our phones, use credit cards, roaming in the internet, cable television, all of this is using satellite technology.

Having a space security strategy would help maintain peaceful uses of outer space and benefits, but also defend or interfere against those who wants to disrupt that peace. By doing so, the U.S. is seeking ways and measures for international cooperation

national security strategy to strengthen the successful operations in such domain, especially that technology is advancing so much in so little time. According to the National Security Space Strategy, “the current and future strategic environment is driven by three trends – space is becoming increasingly congested, contested, and competitive”. To fully understand the reasons and how it may be effective, reviewing and examine past lessons from history may help our understanding.

Ever since the successful launch of Sputnik I in 1957 by the Soviet Union, it brought a huge advancement on technological and scientific developments. However, it had also caused the U.S. to be concerned and its civilians to fear on the Soviet’s ability to launch satellites as weapons that could carry nuclear bombs from Europe to the U.S. Today, however, the fear is not that a satellite may carry a bomb, but rather, cyberattacks and cyber threats could potentially affect space security. Rather, cyberattacks could corrupt, control, or jam functionalities of a satellite and be used to disrupt peace in space.

Strategy recommendation – The U.S. national space security strategy should connect and improve the U.S. space capabilities in cybersecurity and space

national space security strategy must include some sort of monetarization of such anti-satellite weaponry, a policy that would come with an agreement of not using nor sell such weaponry, and enhance an defensive and offensive capabilities as part of the U.S. military space program. Space junk and space debris could also affect the U.S. space security. In 2009, it marked the “first accidental hypervelocity crash between two intact artificial satellites in Earth orbit,” which created a significant amount of debris. And from the China’s anti-satellite weapon test that destroyed one of their own satellites, the leftover bits and pieces is worrisome. Space debris and space junk could either damage another satellite orbiting the Earth and continuing polluting space with this junk.

Strategy recommendation – The U.S. national space security strategy should work together with all countries who have a satellite in orbit, and come up with a long-term strategic plan that outlines a path to determine future space operations, whether is necessary to remove several satellites, and determine a way to collect space