One new working group, led by the UK and US, will focus on norms; the other, led by Russia and China, will draft legal treaty.
By Theresa HitchensOnly a small number of nations, including Venezuela, Iran and China, supported Russia’s objections, especially its rejection of responsible behavior as a foundation for norms.
By Theresa Hitchens“The prospects for complete success in deterrence of hostile attacks on space assets, particularly reversible, nondestructive attacks, are limited,” the RAND study cautions.
By Theresa HitchensThe EU move, which comes in the run up to the final meeting of the UN working group to prevent space threats at the end of the month, brings the number of countries supporting the limited ASAT testing ban up to 35.
By Theresa HitchensRussian and Chinese anti-satellite tests are responsible for “pretty much 20 percent” of “conjunction” warnings, that is predictions that two space objects are likely to collide, in 2022, said the State Department’s Eric Desautels.
By Theresa HitchensAmerican initiatives are seeing more support, while rivals used the opportunity to raise a litany of complaints against Washington.
By Theresa HitchensThere are a host of open questions bedeviling national and international policy- and law-makers as they struggle to get a better grip on both the explosion of commercial players with innovative ideas for space utilization and the growing military interest in space as a tool of, and venue for, war.
By Theresa Hitchens“There are ongoing reviews to find other other commitments that we can make, specifically around national security space activities,” said the State Department’s Richard Buenneke.
By Theresa Hitchens“We may say that we don’t want to, and we stand behind not doing, kinetic debris creating testing, but that does not mean that we should not have that capability,” said Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow for Spacepower Studies Tim Ryan.
By Theresa HitchensLt. Gen. Stephen Whiting talks “contested” space, his worries about space cybersecurity and what happens if adversaries target commercial US firms in orbit.
By Lee FerranUp to now, only Canada and New Zealand have joined the US in unilaterally pledging not to test destructive ASAT missiles, but diplomats expect others to join in.
By Theresa HitchensKaitlyn Johnson, of the Aerospace Security Project, welcomed the SPACECOM-NRO conversation, noting that it is “a big deal,” especially since “Russia has conducted electronic and cyber counterspace attacks already” in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
By Theresa HitchensOne critical issue for the commercial space industry identified by the Aerospace study is the potential for their satellites and ground stations to be deliberately targeted.
By Theresa Hitchens
America’s adversaries are developing tools to trick or destroy current missile tracking capabilities. It’s time to get back ahead of the curve, writes Christopher Stone of the Mitchell Institute.
By Christopher Stone