Cislunar space, a critical arena for scientific, technological, economic, and strategic activities, necessitates expanded and augmented Space Domain Awareness (SDA), including Space Situational Awareness (SSA), to ensure the protection of assets and strategic stability.
Protecting Cislunar Space: Securing Strategic Stability through 2030
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This paper explores the imperatives of extending SSA/SDA beyond geosynchronous orbit, highlighting vulnerabilities in legacy frameworks through the disintegration of the Intelsat 33e satellite on Oct. 19, 2024. Detected by Kratos’s Radio Frequency (RF) network before traditional systems, this incident underscores the need for real-time cyber indications and warnings and the integration of commercial RF data to enhance anomaly detection and resilience. The report proposes to leverage design of experiments methodologies and test and evaluation frameworks to address technical challenges, such as cislunar orbital instability, cyber threats, and space weather events, while advancing sensor development, orbital analysis, and communication and positioning, navigation, and timing services.
The Department of Defense is identified as a pivotal leader in fostering international collaboration through initiatives like the Artemis Accords and partnerships with industry stakeholders, including Intuitive Machines, Quantum Space, and NASA. The report emphasizes the importance of secure-by-design Lunar PNT constellations as the backbone of civil-military operations and future economic activity on the Moon and beyond. Public-private partnerships, exemplified by the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC)’s Cislunar affinity group, are highlighted as essential for cooperative planning and resilience in this contested domain. The paper also envisions a long-term trajectory toward Mars and deeper space, where these technologies and alliances will support sustained human presence and economic viability.