The chief of U.S. Strategic Command wants better tools for protecting against threats from space debris — an estimated 20,000 pieces of manmade material orbiting around the planet.
Gen. Kevin P. Chilton laid out what he described as his “wish list” Nov. 4, emphasizing the importance of being able to predict collisions between debris and valuable satellites.
Given the scarce number of personnel tasked with carrying out this mission, “we are decades behind where we should be, in my view,” General Chilton said in a speech at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
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