Adaptive Terrestrial-Laser Orbital Mesh (ATLOM): A Dual-Use Architecture for Orbital Safety and Strategic Defense

This paper presents ATLOM (Adaptive Terrestrial-Laser Orbital Mesh), a modular and dual-use laser-based defense architecture integrating ground-based directed energy arrays with satellite-based optical relays. ATLOM is designed to provide a flexible, scalable framework for high-speed threat interception (e.g., hypersonics and ICBMs), orbital debris mitigation, and asteroid deflection. The system utilizes high-energy ground-based lasers and passive low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites equipped with precision optical mirrors to deliver redirected beams across hemispherical ranges. The architecture is structured to comply with the Outer Space Treaty (OST) by avoiding active weaponization of orbital assets. This paper emphasizes treaty compliance, mission scalability, and dual-use justification, presenting both conceptual and technical arguments for feasibility.