Introduction

Hypersonic weapons are a tricky class of missile systems. They’re hard to find and even harder to persistently track, even when using satellite capabilities together with ground-based radar. That affects America’s ability to deter attacks on the homeland. Laura Winter speaks with Christopher Stone, who has an idea, which he laid out in his most recent policy paper, “Orbital Vigilance: The Need for Enhanced Space-Based Missile Warning and Tracking”. Stone is a senior fellow for space studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and the author of “Reversing the Tao: A Framework for Credible Space Deterrence”. If you wish to read the policy paper in its entirety, go here: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/orbital-vigilance-the-need-for-enhanced-space-based-missile-warning-and-tracking/.