Thomas G. Roberts

Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Aerospace Security Project
Thomas G. Roberts

Thomas G. Roberts is an adjunct fellow with the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His research interests include international coordination in space, space sustainability, and space security. His analysis and commentary have appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and other publications. Dr. Roberts is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Sam Nunn School for International Affairs. His work has been supported by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation; the National Science Foundation; and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation, and it has earned recognition with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Prize for Open Data, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy’s Prize for Innovation in Global Security, and a placement on Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in Science list. He holds a PhD and SM in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT, an SM in technology and policy from MIT, and a BA in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University.

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Boost-Phase Missile Defense

This CSIS study provides a fresh assessment of issues related to boost-phase defense, including how missile threats are evolving and broader technological trends. It examines prior boost-phase studies for lessons learned and highlights new intercept capabilities.

Report by Ian Williams, Masao Dahlgren, Thomas G. Roberts, and Tom Karako — June 24, 2022

Space Threat Assessment 2020

The Space Threat Assessment 2020 is an unclassified assessment that aggregates and highlights open-source information on counterspace capabilities for policymakers and the general public.

Report by Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, and Makena Young — March 30, 2020

Evaluating the Global Counterspace Landscape

On April 23, 2019, the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies will be hosting a discussion on pre-existing and emerging threats to U.S. space systems.

Event — April 23, 2019

Space Threat Assessment 2019

In Space Threat Assessment 2019 the CSIS Aerospace Security Project reviews the open-source information available on the counterspace capabilities that can threaten U.S. space systems.

Report by Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, and Thomas G. Roberts — April 4, 2019

Spaceports of the World

With the rate of space launches projected to grow exponentially in the coming years, spaceports will become increasingly important to the global space industry. Which countries and private companies operate the world's most active spaceports?

Report by Thomas G. Roberts — March 13, 2019

What Can 24 Satellites Do for U.S. Missile Defense?

Despite some missile defense advocates' claims that 24 satellites could form the basis of a boost-phase space-based missile interceptor (SBI) system, many physicists do not agree, as Thomas Roberts from the CSIS Aerospace Security Project writes in a new brief. 

Brief by Thomas G. Roberts — October 18, 2018

Assessing Threats to Space Systems

Space is simultaneously a powerful enabler for the United States and a critical vulnerability. U.S. national security space systems are vulnerable to a wide range of threats, ranging from cyberattacks and jamming to direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles.

Event — June 5, 2018

Space Threat Assessment 2018

Space Threat Assessment 2018 reviews and aggregates open-source information on the counterspace capabilities and activities of other nations, focusing in particular on China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Report by Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, and Thomas G. Roberts — April 12, 2018

Implications of Ultra-Low-Cost Access to Space

Since the advent of the space age, a primary constraint on military, commercial, and civil space missions has been the cost of launch.

Report by Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, and Andrew Philip Hunter — March 21, 2017