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 civil and commercial space policy, space security, and orbital mechanics. Previously, Mr. Roberts has written on threats against space systems, space object behavior, and international relations in space. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, War on the Rocks, and other publications. Mr. Roberts is currently a graduate research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Astrodynamics, Space Robotics, and Controls Laboratory and a PhD student in the institute’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He holds an MS in aeronautics and astronautics and an MS in technology and policy from MIT and a BA in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University. In 2015, Mr. Roberts was named a Harry S. Truman scholar. In 2021, he was awarded the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship in support of his doctoral research in computational astrodynamics at MIT.
 

Programs & Projects

All content by Thomas G. Roberts

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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

Online Event: Threats, Challenges, and Opportunities in Space

This live streaming event explored the threats and challenges facing the United States and others in the space domain.

Event by Todd Harrison , Kaitlyn Johnson , Thomas G. Roberts , Makena Young , Dr. Christopher Ford , Dr. Brian Weeden , and Victoria Samson — April 6, 2020

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 by Todd Harrison , Kaitlyn Johnson , Thomas G. Roberts , Stephen Kitay , Victoria Samson , and Dr. Brian Weeden — 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 by Todd Harrison , Thomas G. Roberts , Victoria Samson , Brian Weeden , Kaitlyn Johnson , and Thomas G. Roberts — 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