Challenges and Opportunities of Advances in Satellite Technologies: A National Security Perspective
Speaker(s): Rubin, L. (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology); Borowitz, M. J. (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology); Stewart, B. (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia institute of Technology); Lightsey, G. (School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology)
Date: 2 April 2021
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a panel discussion with Dr. Mariel Borowitz (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology), Maj. Brian Stewart (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia institute of Technology), and Dr. Glenn Lightsey (School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology) as a part of its SMA General Speaker Series.Dr. Lawrence Rubin (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology), moderated the event and provided a few introductory remarks.
Dr. Borowitz commenced the group’s presentation by stating that space is a quickly evolving theatre, which places the United States’ many satellites at physical risk from debris and at security risk from malicious actors. She added that a regulatory system for space should be created as the USG, other governments, and commercial entities continue to increase satellite launches, which increases the size of man-made constellations. Dr. Borowitz emphasized that these regulations can only be created by countries coordinating their national space policy and increasing their bilateral communication and engagement through data sharing and coordinating satellite maneuvers. Russia was named as a conflicting presence in space, who frequently sends their satellites in close proximity to the United States’ or other countries’ satellites. Furthermore, Russia’s response to allegations of aggressive behavior was that there are simply no international regulatory rules in place.
Maj. Stewart continued to address the topic of satellite security by emphasizing that it is important to make the distinction between satellites that present a security threat and those carrying out commercial tasks. Identifying which satellites pose a military or security threat is a difficult task because all satellites have dual use technology. Furthermore, it is likely for an adversary to use their satellites to probe US reaction time and capabilities to defend their own satellites by coming in close proximity with their own. The United States’ satellite’s detection and defense systems will likely begin to struggle as more commercial companies launch their own satellites and fill space with smaller objects that can maneuver with ease. He argued that the increased number of commercially owned satellites also presents a security risk because private companies operate with less restrictions than the USG and incorporate less encryption into their software, which ultimately makes their satellites more vulnerable to hackers. Maj. Stewart echoed Dr. Borowitz’s insight that the only way to increase the security of space is to increase data sharing and undertaking bilateral efforts such as debris removal.
Dr. Lightsey commented that the United States is now experiencing more competition in space than it ever has, because of a decreasing cost of space technology and increasing capabilities of other actors’ satellites. He also emphasized that forming international regulations and a system of enforcement for violators is key to building infrastructure for space. Regulatory steps include identifying satellites that are maneuverable and those that will stay in a fixed position, controlling the velocity of satellites that are moving, and defining standards for how close countries can position their satellites to others. Several enforcement mechanisms for countries that routinely violate future international regulations could include monetary fines or restrictions on future satellite launches, which are easy to detect and monitor. Dr. Lightsey compared space to a national forest, or a space for all responsible stakeholders to participate if they also take on the role of its custodians. He concluded the group’s presentation by stating that the best way to control the growth of space and develop the environment’s infrastructure is to create a 10-to-20-year plan, which involves bilateral cooperation and data sharing.
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Dr. Lawrence Rubin (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology)
Lawrence Rubin is an associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and an associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. His research areas include Middle East politics, international security and emerging technologies. During the 2017-2018 AY, Rubin served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy through a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship where he worked in the Middle East and Countering WMD offices. Rubin is the author and editor of three books as well as a number of policy and academic articles. His most recent book, published by Georgetown UP, The End of Strategic Stability? Nuclear Weapons and the Challenge of Regional Rivalries (Georgetown University Press, 2018) was co-edited with Adam Stulberg. His recently served as a guest editor for special issue in the journal Orbis titled,” Emerging Technology and National Security."Rubin received his PhD in Political Science from UCLA and earned degrees from University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and UC Berkeley.
Dr. Mariel Borowitz (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology)
Mariel Borowitz is an Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. Her research deals with international space policy issues, including international cooperation in Earth observing satellites and satellite data sharing policies. She also focuses on strategy and developments in space security and space situational awareness. Dr. Borowitz earned a PhD in Public Policy at the University of Maryland and a Masters degree in International Science and Technology Policy from the George Washington University. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Borowitz completed a detail as a policy analyst for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC from 2016 to 2018. Her book, “Open Space: The Global Effort for Open Access to Environmental Satellite Data,” was published by MIT Press in 2017.
Maj. Brian Stewart (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia institute of Technology)
Maj Brian Stewart, USSF, is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management, a Master of Science degree in Space Studies, and a Master of Science degree in International Security. His research focuses on the effects of national security space system entanglement on deterrence and stability. Maj Stewart is an active duty Space Operations Officer with 12 years of operational experience in the 50th Space Wing, 460th Space Wing, and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he operated Milstar and Advanced
Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Protected satellite communications (SATCOM) satellites; Defense Support Program (DSP) and Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellites; and classified national security systems. He also has five years’ experience working with advanced exploitation, processing, and dissemination of overhead data in the Intelligence Community (IC). Additionally, he deployed from 2014-2015 as the NRO Liaison to Afghanistan where he supported conventional and special operations forces with unique IC capabilities. Following this degree, Maj Stewart will return to the United States Air Force Academy where he will join the faculty in the Military and Strategic Studies Department.
Dr. Glenn Lightsey (School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology)
Dr. E. Glenn Lightsey is the David Lewis Professor of Space Systems Technology in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. He is the Director of the Space Systems Design Lab and the Director of the Center for Space Technology and Research at Georgia Tech. His research program focuses on the technology of small satellites, including: guidance, navigation, and control systems; attitude determination and control; formation flying, satellite swarms, and satellite networks; cooperative control; proximity operations and unmanned spacecraft rendezvous; space based Global Positioning System receivers; radionavigation; propulsion; satellite operations; and space systems engineering. Dr. Lightsey has founded two companies which invent space technology, one of which was acquired by a larger company. Dr. Lightsey has authored and co-authored more than 150 technical publications, including four book chapters. He is an AIAA Fellow and a Founding Member of the AIAA Small Satellite Technical Committee. He is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Small Satellites. Dr. Lightsey has received the AIAA’s Mechanics and Control of Flight Award and the Institute of Navigation’s Tycho Brahe Award. Dr. Lightsey was previously employed at the University of Texas at Austin and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
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