At MIT, I work with Prof. Richard Linares to model the near-Earth space environment and contribute to world order in outer space.

My Ph.D. dissertation assesses geosynchronous satellite operators’ compliance with orbital assignments from the International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations tasked with preventing harmful interference in the radio-frequency spectrum. In 2023, portions of my doctoral research were recognized with the MIT Prize for Open Data and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy’s Prize for Innovation in Global Security. For my S.M. thesis, I developed a methodology to detect maneuvers in the geostationary belt using publicly available space object data via supervised machine learning techniques.

Outside of my work at MIT, I’ve collaborated with space sustainability and astrodynamics experts from EPFL’s Space Center, NASA’s Conjunction Assessment and Risk Analysis (CARA) program, and Planet Labs’ Orbits R&D team via visiting research positions. Before graduate school, my work focused on space security and policy as an in-residence research associate at the CSIS Aerospace Security Project.

A list of my published work is available below and on Google Scholar. For a list of my working papers, presentations, grants, and service work, see my curriculum vitae.

Journal and Conference Papers

Popular Articles and Other Projects

 

Articles in Refereed Journals

Featured
Mitigating Noncooperative RPOs in Geosynchronous Orbit

Æther Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower 1(4) (January 13, 2023). With Kaitlyn Johnson and Brian Weeden.

Space-based Sensor Tasking using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Journal of the Astronautical Sciences (November 11, 2022). With Peng Mun Siew, Daniel Jang, and Richard Linares.

A Sustainable Geostationary Space Environment Requires New Norms of Behavior

MIT Science Policy Review (August 20, 2020). With Carson Bullock.

Why a Space-Based Missile Interceptor System Is Not Viable

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (July 2, 2018).

Conference Papers

Featured
End-to-End Behavioral Mode Clustering for Geosynchronous Satellites

24th Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (September 19-22, 2023). With Victor Rodriguez-Fernandez, Peng Mun Siew, Haley E. Solera, and Richard Linares.

AI SSA Challenge Problem: Satellite Pattern-of-Life Characterization Dataset and Benchmark Suite

24th Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (September 19-22, 2023). With Peng Mun Siew, Haley E. Solera, Daniel Jang, Victor Rodriguez-Fernandez, Jonathan P. How, and Richard Linares.

Geosynchronous Satellite Behavior Classification via Unsupervised Machine Learning

9th International Academy of Astronautics Space Traffic Management Conference (March 1-2, 2023). With Haley E. Solera and Richard Linares.

Geosynchronous Satellite Pattern of Life Node Detection and Classification

9th International Academy of Astronautics Space Traffic Management Conference (March 1-2, 2023). With Haley E. Solera and Richard Linares.

A Survey of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Space Station License Applications in the Geosynchronous Orbital Regime (GEO)

23rd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (September 27-30, 2022). With Richard Linares.

Cislunar Space Situational Awareness Sensor Tasking using Deep Reinforcement Learning Agents

23rd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (September 27-30, 2022). With Peng Mun Siew, Daniel Jang, and Richard Linares.

A Survey of Longitudinal-Shift Maneuvers Performed by Geosynchronous Satellites from 2010 to 2021

73rd International Astronautical Congress (September 18-22, 2022). With Richard Linares.

A Deep Reinforcement Learning Application to Space-based Sensor Tasking for Space Situational Awareness

22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (September 14-17, 2021). With Peng Mun Siew, Daniel Jang, and Richard Linares.

Geosynchronous Satellite Maneuver Classification via Supervised Machine Learning

22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (September 14-17, 2021). With Richard Linares.

Satellite Repositioning Maneuver Detection in Geosynchronous Orbit Using Two-line Element (TLE) Data

71st International Astronautical Congress (October 12-14, 2020). With Richard Linares.

Reports

Featured
Lunar Policy Handbook

Moon Dialogs (March 2023). Edited by Harshita Khera, Héloïse Vertadier, Jessy Kate Schingler, and Christopher Johnson.

Boost-Phase Missile Defense: Interrogating the Assumptions

Center for Strategic and International Studies (June 24, 2022). With Ian Williams, Masao Dahlgren, and Tom Karako.

Space Threat Assessment 2020

Center for Strategic and International Studies (March 30, 2020). With Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, Tyler Way, and Makena Young. Featured in The New York Times and National Defense Magazine.

Space Threat Assessment 2019

Center for Strategic and International Studies (April 4, 2019). With Todd Harrison and Kaitlyn Johnson. Featured in The Economist, SpaceNews, and Breaking Defense.

Spaceports of the World

Center for Strategic and International Studies (March 13, 2019). Featured in National Geographic.

Space Threat Assessment 2018

Center for Strategic and International Studies (April 11, 2018). With Todd Harrison and Kaitlyn Johnson. Featured in DefenseNews and The Daily Beast.

Escalation and Deterrence in the Second Space Age

Center for Strategic and International Studies (October 3, 2017). With Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, and Kaitlyn Johnson. Featured in Breaking Defense.

Beyond the RD-180

Center for Strategic and International Studies (March 21, 2017). With Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, and Kaitlyn Johnson. Featured in Defense One.

Implications of Ultra-Low-Cost Access to Space

Center for Strategic and International Studies (March 21, 2017). With Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, and Kaitlyn Johnson. Featured in SpaceNews and Quartz.

Academic Theses

Featured
Measuring Compliance to the International Telecommunication Union’s Geosynchronous Orbital Assignments

Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Forthcoming. Advised by Richard Linares, Olivier de Weck, Moriba Jah, and Brian Weeden.

Geosynchronous Satellite Maneuver Classification and Orbital Pattern Anomaly Detection via Supervised Machine Learning

S.M. Thesis, Technology and Policy Program and Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (June 2021). Advised by Richard Linares.

Estimating Encounters: An Assessment of Space Debris Collision Risk in Low-Earth Orbit From 1960 to 2015

A.B. Thesis, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University (May 2016). Advised by Christopher Chyba.

Featured
We need to get our space junk problem under control

The Washington Post (August 22, 2023). Featured in the Post’s Today’s Opinions newsletter.

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

Center for Strategic and International Studies (October 18, 2018).

Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Why NASA Must Continue to Launch a Diverse Astronaut Corps

Center for Strategic and International Studies (July 31, 2018).

President Trump Wants His Moonshot Without Paying for It

SpaceNews (February 15, 2018).

Deterrence in the Last Sanctuary

War on the Rocks (January 2, 2018). With Zack Cooper.

Bad Idea: Space-based Missile Interceptors

Defense360 (December 19, 2017). Featured in SpaceNews and Voice of America.

Why We Should Be Worried about a War in Space

The Atlantic (December 15, 2017).

The Evolution of Space as a Contested Domain

SpaceNews Magazine (October 10, 2017). With Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, and Kaitlyn Johnson. 

Multimedia

Featured
Unusual Behavior in GEO: Olymp-K

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (April 4, 2019). Featured in Breaking Defense.

Unusual Behavior in GEO: SJ-17

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (April 4, 2019). Featured in Breaking Defense.

Moonstruck

Podcast miniseries. DraftHouse Media. Featured in The New York Times, The Irish Times, and Apple iTunes Top 3 Science Podcasts (July 2019).

  1. Space is Dangerous (March 21, 2018), featuring Todd Harrison;

  2. Bodies in Orbit (April 4, 2018), featuring Kris Lehnhardt;

  3. Space Germs (April 25, 2018), featuring John C. Stonesifer;

  4. The Privilege to Fly (May 23, 2018), featuring Margaret Weitekamp and Jeanette Epps;

  5. Disaster Strikes (September 19, 2018), featuring Sean O'Keefe; and

  6. The Hand-Me-Down Space Suit (October 10, 2018), featuring Luca Parmitano and Dava Newman.

Space-Based Missile Defense: How Much is Enough?

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (July 2, 2018). Featured in The Verge and National Defense Magazine.

Databases

Featured
Satellite Dashboard

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Secure World Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin (2022). Watch a video demo here. Featured in Breaking Defense.

Space Launch to Low Earth Orbit: How Much Does It Cost?

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (September 2, 2020).

Spaceports of the World

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (August 22, 2018). Featured in National Geographic.

History of the NASA Budget

Interactive Data Repository. Center for Strategic and International Studies (February 12, 2018).