SEST 6631: Outer Space/Strategic Capabilities

This course will explore how outer space and associated strategic technologies are transforming the international security environment. The course will examine the role that outer space played during the Cold War and discuss how current technological trends are shaping today’s space security environment.

Additionally, this course will explore contemporary topics like the rise of commercial space companies; anti-satellite and counterspace weapons; the growth of orbital debris; cybersecurity challenges; the creation of the U.S. Space Force; the emergence of China as a space power; and the potential for arms control and norms of behavior to help manage competition in the space domain.

Finally, this course will examine the implications of outer space and space-related strategic technologies on the future of warfare and international security, and how the United States and its allies might effectively respond to these challenges.