Reusable rockets have drastically slashed the cost to reach orbit, but despite this capability nearly every U.S. satellite is still built to be used once and then abandoned. The U.S. should now focus on developing recoverable and reusable satellites to enhance American space resilience doctrine, reduce orbital debris, and increase defense-supply chain security. Particularly as our adversaries, like China, are already moving in that direction. Six recommendations for Congress and the Department of War (DoW) are outlined below, several of which align with the White House's new National Space Transportation Policy (NSPM-17, signed August 20, 2026).

In a manner reminiscent of the first Cold War, Washington and Beijing are now competing to entice smaller countries to their side. “China and the U.S. each represent one pole, with many ‘middle countries’ in between,” observes Shi Yuanhua of Fudan University. “Middle countries represent key targets for China’s diplomacy and competition with the U.S.”