Getting on Track: Space and Airborne Sensors for Hypersonic Missile Defense

The CSIS Missile Defense Project is pleased to release a new report, Getting on Track: Space and Airborne Sensors for Hypersonic Missile Defense. The study reviews the Department of Defense’s efforts to modernize its elevated sensor architecture, which is necessary to defeat future missile threats. Drawing upon in-house computer modeling and simulation capabilities, the report analyzes the Pentagon’s current approaches, visualizes key technical tradeoffs, discusses options for constellations with mixed orbits, and identifies several potential pitfalls.

Missile Defense Project director Dr. Tom Karako and the report’s lead author Masao Dahlgren will present an overview of the report's analysis and recommendations. Following the overview, Aerospace Security Project director Kari Bingen will introduce the panelists. The conversation will then proceed with a panel discussion with John D. Hill, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense; Colonel Alexander Rasmussen, Chief, Tracking Layer, Space Development Agency; Richard Ritter, Program Executive for Sensors, Command and Control, Missile Defense Agency; and Ryan Tully, Strategic Forces Lead (Majority), Professional Staff Member, House Committee on Armed Services. The discussion will explore policy objectives, programmatic efforts, tradeoffs between orbits and inclinations, requirements for fire control quality tracking, and how constellation designs affect capability phasing for regional and global coverage.

This event is cohosted by the Aerospace Security Project. 

This report was made possible with support from General Atomics, L3Harris, Leidos, and Lockheed Martin.