Liberty Shockley, U.S. Air Force; Robert Bettinger, U.S. Air Force
Keywords: Space Law, Launch-on-Demand, Rocket Cargo, Space Lift, Treaty Compliance
Abstract:
With the growing capability and frequency of spacecraft launch operations, as well as the accelerated research and development of high-altitude hypersonic vehicles, the prospect of rocket-based cargo mobility requires new legal and policy strategies to contend the implications of projecting air power to any global theater within one hour via a vehicle based in the continental U.S. This paper will explore the challenges posed by a launch-on-demand capability by not only air and space law, but also national policy and geopolitical perceptions. Citing contemporary legal and process-based requirements for space launch and atmospheric reentry operations, this paper will advocate an evolution of national policy to enable a launch-on-demand capability to deliver personnel and cargo to contested theaters of operation in support of U.S. core competencies of global reach and rapid global mobility.
Date of Conference: September 17-20, 2019
Track: Space Situational Awareness