DARPA’s LASSO Program: Building the Space Force’s Cislunar Intelligence Network for the New Lunar Economy

Introduction: Cislunar Space Emerges as the Next Strategic High Ground The strategic competition that once centered on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) is rapidly expanding into cislunar space—the vast region extending from Earth orbit to the Moon. Driven by NASA’s Artemis program, China’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), commercial lunar ventures,…