Polskie Forum Astronautyczne
Artykuły o tematyce astronautycznej => Artykuły astronautyczne => Wątek zaczęty przez: Orionid w Kwietnia 02, 2019, 23:56
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NASA warns Indian anti-satellite test increased debris risk to ISS
by Jeff Foust — April 2, 2019
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mission-shakti.jpg)
The missile launched March 27 in India's anti-satellite test intercepted a satellite in a low orbit, but still created debris in orbits that go above the International Space Station. Credit: DRDO
WASHINGTON — In the sharpest rebuke to date by a U.S. government official, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine criticized India’s recent anti-satellite test April 1, saying it created debris that posed a threat to the International Space Station.
During a town hall meeting with NASA employees, Bridenstine was asked about the March 27 test, dubbed “Mission Shakti,” where a ground-launched missile struck the Microsat-R satellite in an orbit less than 300 kilometers high. The Indian government said the low altitude of the test minimized the amount of long-lived debris.
Bridenstine, though, said that the test did produce some debris placed into higher orbits, including those above that of the ISS, which orbits at an altitude of about 410 kilometers. He said 400 pieces of debris had been identified from the test, 60 of which are large enough to be tracked by U.S. military assets, such as radars.
“Of those 60, we know that 24 of them are going above the apogee of the International Space Station,” he said. “That is a terrible, terrible thing, to create an event that sends debris into an apogee that goes above the International Space Station. And that kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human spaceflight.”
“It’s unacceptable, and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is,” he continued. Experts from NASA and the military’s Combined Space Operations Center concluded last week that the risk of debris impacting the station increased by 44 percent over a 10-day period, he said, but didn’t specify the baseline risk level that was increased by that amount.
Bridenstine emphasized that, despite the increased risk, the six people currently on the station are not in danger. “While the risk went up 44 percent, our astronauts are still safe. The International Space Station is still safe,” he said. “If we need to maneuver it, we will. The probability of that, I think, is low.”
He suggested, though, that last week’s test was irresponsible and set a bad precedent. “When one country does it, then other countries have to feel like they have to do it as well,” he said.
Bridenstine’s statements represent the strongest criticism to date of the test by a U.S. government official. While Air Force officials confirmed they monitored the test and tracked debris from it, neither they nor the State Department spoke out as forcefully against the Indian ASAT test.
A State Department spokesperson, in a statement to SpaceNews April 1, offered only mild criticism of the test. “The United States recognizes, and encourages other nations to recognize, that orbital debris represents a growing threat to the space operations of all nations. We took note of Indian government statements that the test was conducted at a low altitude to limit the orbital lifetime of resulting debris,” the spokesperson said.
The lack of response from the U.S. government, until Bridenstine’s remarks, stood in contrast to criticism from a number of companies that operate in low Earth orbit (https://spacenews.com/reactions-to-indian-asat/). Those companies worry about how such tests could increase orbital debris and adversely affect their operations.
“While Planet enjoys a great working partnership with agencies of India’s government — like [the Indian space agency] ISRO — we categorically condemn the anti-satellite missile intercept recently conducted by India’s defense department,” said Planet, the company that operates a large constellation of low Earth orbit imaging satellites, in a March 27 statement.
Experts highlighted the differences between commercial and government responses to the test. “I think that speaks to the emerging power of the commercial sector as a player in influencing behavior in space,” said Brian Weeden, director of program planning at the Secure World Foundation, during a panel discussion by that organization March 29 on U.S.-China space relations.
He added, though, he was concerned about the precedent that the Indian test set. “Right now, it appears that the norm is that it’s okay to test that, as long as you try to minimize space debris,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a norm that we want to have, but that appears to be what the norm is.”
And companies have yet to back up their criticism of the Indian ASAT test with more concrete actions. While Planet condemned the test, it still launched 20 of its Dove satellites on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle March 31.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-warns-indian-anti-satellite-test-increased-debris-risk-to-iss/
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India ASAT debris spotted above 2,200 kilometers, will remain a year or more in orbit
by Caleb Henry — April 9, 2019 [SpaceNews]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-09-at-1.12.21-PM-879x485.png)
Some debris from India's March 27 ASAT test will take over a year to deorbit. Credit: AGI
COLORADO SPRINGS — At least a dozen fragments from India’s March 27 anti-satellite test reached altitudes above 1,000 kilometers, meaning some debris will stay in orbit much longer than estimated by India, according to research from Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI).
One fragment was spotted at 2,222 kilometers, nearly eight times higher than where India intercepted one of its own satellites with a ground-launched missile, Dan Oltrogge, a senior research astrodynamicist at AGI, said.
That fragment, and others orbiting at high altitudes in low Earth orbit, will remain in space much longer than the 45 days recently projected by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/pub/npc/2019/April/din-06-08april2019.pdf), Oltrogge said.
“Many fragments already reentered in the first one to two days, and then there’s quite a cluster that reenters between then and out to as much as one to two months,” Oltrogge said at the 35th Space Symposium here. “But there are some fragments that can go out one to two years.”
Two days after the March 27 test, the U.S. Air Force said it was tracking 250 pieces of debris created when India’s PDV-Mk II missile intercepted at 280 kilometers a satellite dubbed Microsat-R that India launched in January. On April 1, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, lamenting an increased risk to the International Space Station, said that 400 pieces of debris were created.
Oltrogge, who runs AGI’s Center for Space Standards and Innovation, said no satellites are known to have been struck by debris from India’s ASAT test. He cautioned, though, that satellite operators may not disclose such information if there was a strike.
AGI data showed that multiple Russian Kanopus remote sensing satellites and Dove satellites operated by commercial company Planet were among 25 spacecraft most at risk of intersecting with debris paths from the ASAT test.
The European Space Agency’s Aeolus wind-mapping satellite, which launched in August, was also among the 25 most-at-risk satellites.
Oltrogge said AGI created that list based on “the risk that a fragment will be at the center of mass of the satellite.”
That risk isn’t exactly the same as hitting a satellite, because the probability of an impact also depends on the size of the satellite and the debris, he said.
The ISS, which orbits at roughly 410 kilometers, was among the top 60 spacecraft threatened by the debris, according to AGI.
“These high-apogee fragments are crossing satellites above them, including the ISS,” Oltrogge said. “These fragments, although there aren’t that many of them, do put other spacecraft at risk during the time they are up there.”
Source: https://spacenews.com/india-asat-debris-spotted-above-2200-kilometers-will-last-a-year-or-more/
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Half of Indian Anti-Satellite Test Debris Still Orbiting in Space - Harvard Astronomer
by Staff Writers New Delhi (Sputnik) Jun 28, 2019
India's anti-satellite missile was a three-stage rocket, which successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite on 27 March. The Indian defence ministry claims that the test was conducted to intercept the missile in a manner that minimised the threat of space debris.
Three months after India conducted an anti-satellite test in which it "shot down" a low-orbiting satellite, the 41 pieces of debris generated in the process remain in orbit. This accounts for about 50% of all fragments of debris that were created in the 'Mission Shakti' missile test, says Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
This is in complete contrast to the claim made by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which said the test was planned in a manner to ensure that all debris would fully disintegrate within 45 days.
McDowell estimates that the debris will take "at least a year or so" to fully deteriorate. Another satellite tracker Marco Langbroek claimed that "many of these objects still on-orbit have apogees still well into the range of operational satellites, i.e. they remain a threat to other objects in space".
In his analysis published on 18 June, Langbroek warned that these remaining objects, "at least 5 objects will stay in orbit for at least a year to come, and the last one might not reenter until mid-2021".
Earlier in April, US space agency NASA called the destruction of Microsat-R satellite a "terrible, terrible thing" that poses a threat to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The Russian defence ministry raised similar concerns just after the test, and said that the over 100 fragments that were formed in the altitude range from 100 to 1,000 kilometres have been orbiting very close to the ISS, "which may create threats in the near future".
The US has criticised India over its anti-satellite missile test, calling it unacceptable and incompatible with the future of human space flight.
On 27 March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced New Delhi had successfully tested its first anti-satellite missile by hitting a defunct Indian satellite at an altitude of 300 km. Modi added that India had become the fourth country in the world to possess such a weapon after China, Russia, and the United States.
Source: RIA Novosti
Source: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Half_of_Indian_Anti_Satellite_Test_Debris_Still_Orbiting_in_Space___Harvard_Astronomer_999.html
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NASA resumes cooperation with ISRO after ASAT test
by Jeff Foust — April 7, 2019 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mission-shakti.jpg)
After India intercepted one of its satellites with a ground-launched missile March 27, NASA briefly suspended participation in a working group with the Indian space agency ISRO regarding human spaceflight cooperation. Credit: DRDO
WASHINGTON — NASA suspended cooperation with its Indian counterpart in one area in the immediate aftermath of India’s March 27 anti-satellite test, only to reinstate it less than a week later.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-resumes-cooperation-with-isro-after-asat-test/
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U.S. officials: Space station at risk from ‘reckless’ Russian anti-satellite test
November 15, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FAcRLMHXoAIvjQr.jpeg)
A view of the International Space Station captured Sept. 28 by a cosmonaut on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft. Credit: Roscosmos
Russia shot down an old Soviet-era military spacecraft Monday in a test of an anti-satellite weapon, scattering hundreds of thousands of debris fragments that will remain in orbit for years or decades, U.S. government officials said.
The anti-satellite test used a direct-ascent missile, or DA-ASAT, to destroy a decommissioned military surveillance satellite named Kosmos 1408, according to U.S. Space Command.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/15/u-s-officials-space-station-at-risk-from-reckless-russian-anti-satellite-test/
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European space industry alarmed by Russian ASAT test
by Andrew Jones — November 16, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/building-blocks-unified-space-governance-SpaceTechExpo2021-Bremen-2crop-SpaceNews-Andrew-Jones-879x485.jpg)
European industry figures discuss space governance at the Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany, Nov. 16, 2021. Credit: SpaceNews/Andrew Jones
BREMEN, Germany — European space industry figures have expressed alarm at Russia’s destructive antisatellite test which has created thousands of pieces of orbital debris.
“Our models show an increase in probability of a collision in low Earth orbit of five percent,” Philippe Baptiste, head of the French space agency CNES, said Nov. 16 of the ASAT test.
Source: https://spacenews.com/european-space-industry-alarmed-by-russian-asat-test/
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LeoLabs tracks debris cloud expanding in low Earth orbit
by Debra Werner — November 16, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/rsz_screen_shot_2021-11-16_at_10107_pm-879x485.png)
In this LeoLabs image, the International Space Station's orbit is depicted in orange. The while circles show debris stemming from the Nov. 15 Russian antisatellite test. Credit: LeoLabs
SAN FRANCISCO – LeoLabs was alerted early Nov. 15 that something was happening in low Earth orbit.
Before the Silicon Valley space mapping startup heard of the Russian antisatellite test, its global network of phased array radars detected an object in low Earth orbit that quickly turned into six radar blips, then 31. As of 3 pm eastern time on Nov. 16, LeoLabs was tracking 216 objects larger than 10 centimeters in diameter stemming from the Russian antisatellite test.
The debris cloud is spreading quickly.
Source: https://spacenews.com/leolabs-on-asat-debris/
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China silent, South Korea ‘concerned’ over debris created by Russia’s anti-satellite missile test
by Park Si-soo — November 17, 2021
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South Korea’s foreign ministry headquarters in Seoul. Credit: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the “numerous pieces of debris” created in low Earth orbit when Russia destroyed a Soviet-era satellite with a missile strike earlier this week but stopped short of criticizing Russia.
Source: https://spacenews.com/china-silent-south-korea-concerned-over-debris-created-by-russias-anti-satellite-missile-test/
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Nelson and Rogozin talk about ASAT test
by Jeff Foust — November 16, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/nelson-aug2021.jpg)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he expressed "dismay" to Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin over the danger the crew on the ISS faced from the Russian ASAT test. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
LAS VEGAS — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson spoke with his Russian counterpart a day after a Russian antisatellite test, as others in the Russian government dismissed the threat to space sustainability that test created.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nelson-and-rogozin-talk-about-asat-test/
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Russia clearly knew the consequences of ASAT test, says former U.S. intelligence official
by Sandra Erwin — November 16, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/4650730-879x485.jpg)
Sue Gordon served as principal deputy director of national intelligence from 2017 to 2019. Credit: Defense Intelligence Agency
Sue Gordon: 'These are very experienced space actors'
WASHINGTON — Russia’s denials that debris caused by an anti-satellite missile test poses a threat to spacecraft and astronauts are disingenuous, said Sue Gordon, former principal deputy director of national intelligence.
Source: https://spacenews.com/russia-clearly-knew-the-consequences-of-asat-test-says-former-u-s-intelligence-official/
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EU Space Policy Chief Condemns Russian Missile Test In Low Orbit
Daniyal Sohail Wed 17th November 2021 | 01:00 PM [urdupoint.com]
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European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton condemned Russia's anti-satellite missile system test, which led to the destruction of a satellite in low orbit
BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2021) European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton condemned Russia's anti-satellite missile system test, which led to the destruction of a satellite in low orbit.
"As European Union (EU) Commissioner in charge of EU Space policy and in particular of Galileo & Copernicus, I join the strongest condemnations expressed against the test conducted by Russia on Monday November 15, which led to the destruction of a satellite in low orbit (COSMOS 1408)," Breton wrote on Twitter late on Tuesday.
Source: https://www.urdupoint.com/en/technology/eu-space-policy-chief-condemns-russian-missil-1403309.html
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U.S. officials: Anti-satellite test another sign of Russia’s aggressive intentions in space
by Sandra Erwin — November 17, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/before-after-numerica-879x485.jpg)
Numerica and Slingshot Aerospace produced these images of the resulting debris from the Russian missile that blew up Cosmos 1408.
Lt. Gen. John Shaw said the debris from the Nov. 15 test could be even more damaging than China's 2007 intercept
WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Force officials Nov. 17 condemned Russia’s missile strike that destroyed a defunct satellite in low Earth orbit. The anti-satellite missile test, these officials said, sends an ominous message that Russia is intent on advancing its arsenal of space weapons.
Source: https://spacenews.com/u-s-officials-anti-satellite-test-another-sign-of-russias-aggressive-intentions-in-space/
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Space Force official: Russian missile tests expose vulnerability of low-orbiting satellites
by Sandra Erwin — December 16, 2020 Updated Dec. 17 with State Department statement [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Screen-Shot-2020-12-16-at-4.36.28-PM-e1608154787758-879x485.png)
Test of a Russian Nudol anti-ballistic missile system July 20, 2020. Credit: Armies Power/ YouTube
“The nation must do something about this,” Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno said of Russia's recent test of a ballistic missile that could target satellites.
WASHINGTON — Russia on Dec. 15 conducted a ballistic missile test that U.S. Space Command condemned as a threat to satellites in orbit.
“The nation must do something about this,” said Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, director of staff of the Office of the Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force.
Source: https://spacenews.com/space-force-official-russian-missile-tests-expose-vulnerability-of-low-orbiting-satellites/
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Station resumes normal operations, but risk from Russian ASAT test continues
November 18, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]
(https://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/exp66_iss.jpg)
Expedition 66 crew members, from left to right: Pyotr Dubrov, Tom Marshburn, Anton Shkaplerov, Raja Chari, Mark Vande Hei, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer. Credit: NASA
The seven-person crew living on the International Space Station resumed normal operations Wednesday, two days after closing off parts of the complex as precaution following a widely-condemned Russian anti-satellite test that created a new cloud of space debris.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/18/station-resumes-normal-operations-but-russian-anti-satellite-test-poses-continued-risk/
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U.S. was not blindsided by Russia’s anti-satellite test, say officials
by Sandra Erwin — December 5, 2021 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-05-at-6.40.58-AM-879x485.png)
Chris Kubasik, CEO of L3Harris (left to right), Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations, and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) speak on a panel at the Reagan National Defense Forum moderated by Kristin Fisher of CNN. Credit: RNDF YouTube
Gen. David Thompson: 'These advances in capabilities are concerning, they are not a surprise'
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military for years has watched Russia’s attempts to demonstrate it could destroy a satellite with a ground-based weapon, so the Nov. 15 missile test that blew up a satellite in orbit did not come as a complete shock, officials said Dec. 4 at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
Source: https://spacenews.com/u-s-was-not-blindsided-by-russias-anti-satellite-test-say-officials/
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It’s Time for a Global Ban on Destructive Antisatellite Testing
January 14, 2022 AUTHORS:Brian Weeden, Victoria Samson [SA]
The orbital debris created in the explosions is dangerous, long-lasting and a threat to the growing space economy
(https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/98B77F65-E6E4-4EC9-8B45B0D9CF550D86_source.jpg?w=1250&h=701&D31C54F6-32BF-4688-AE7213E5B507B0BD)
Credit: janiecbros/Getty Images
In November, Russia ignited an international uproar with a weapon test that launched an interceptor against a defunct military satellite. When it hit, that deliberate collision shattered the satellite into more than 1,500 trackable pieces of debris.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-for-a-global-ban-on-destructive-antisatellite-testing/
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Chinese satellite in near miss with Russian ASAT test debris
by Andrew Jones — January 20, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Space_Debris_pillars-ESA-ID-Sense-ONiRiXEL-CC-BY-SA-3.0-IGO-879x485.jpg)
An illustration of objects and space debris in Earth orbit. Credit: ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
HELSINKI — A Chinese satellite experienced a near miss Tuesday with a piece of debris created by Russia’s destructive anti-satellite test conducted in November.
The Space Debris Monitoring and Application Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) issued a warning Tuesday of an extremely dangerous encounter between the Tsinghua Science satellite (NORAD ID: 46026) and one (49863) of more than a thousand trackable pieces of debris from the Nov. 15 ASAT test.
Source: https://spacenews.com/chinese-satellite-in-near-miss-with-russian-asat-test-debris/
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Russian ASAT debris creating “squalls” of close approaches with satellites
by Jeff Foust — February 18, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/comspoc-collision.jpg)
A simulation of the Russian ASAT demonstration in November 2021. Much of the debris from that event is in an orbit that periodically lines up with satellites in sun-synchronous orbits. Credit: COMSPOC
WASHINGTON — Debris from a Russian antisatellite weapon demonstration in November are creating surges of close approaches, in some cases tens of thousands in a week, with active satellites in low Earth orbit.
Such events, dubbed “conjunction squalls” by space situational awareness company COMSPOC, were first noticed in January and stem from the unique circumstances of the Nov. 15 Russian ASAT test that destroyed the Cosmos 1408 satellite and created thousands of pieces of debris.
Source: https://spacenews.com/russian-asat-debris-creating-squalls-of-close-approaches-with-satellites/
Russian ASAT Demo Tested US Space Command’s Nascent Domain Awareness
March 10, 2022 | By Shaun Waterman [airforcemag.com]
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Army Gen. James H. Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, provides testimony at a Senate Armed Services Committee, March 8, 2022. DOD Photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jack Sanders.
The Russian test of an anti-satellite weapon system in 2021 gave the newly relaunched U.S. Space Command the chance to showcase its growing ability to perceive and understand the space domain, its commander Army Gen. James H. Dickinson said.
When the Russians launched a maneuverable kill vehicle atop a Nudol missile Nov. 15 and destroyed one of their own defunct spy satellites, “I was very pleased with how the command responded,” Dickinson told an audience online and in person at the Atlantic Council.
Source: https://www.airforcemag.com/russian-asat-demo-tested-us-space-commands-nascent-domain-awareness/
South Korea “welcomes” U.S. moratorium on anti-satellite missile tests; China skeptical
by Park Si-soo — April 22, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/south-korea-foreign-ministry-copy-879x485.jpeg)
South Korea’s foreign ministry headquarters in Seoul. Credit: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Russia's deputy foreign minister calls self-imposed U.S. ban "a step in the right direction."
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea “welcomed” America’s self-imposed ban on direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests that create orbital debris.
https://spacenews.com/south-korea-welcomes-u-s-moratorium-on-anti-satellite-missile-tests-china-skeptical/
U.S. ASAT ban meant to support U.N. discussions on space threats
by Jeff Foust — April 25, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/FQrCxdCVgAAFlRS-879x485.jpeg)
Vice President Kamala Harris announced the ASAT testing ban in an April 18 speech, a few weeks before the first meeting of a U.N. working group on space threats. Credit: Space Launch Delta 30
WASHINGTON — A State Department official said the Biden administration’s announcement of a ban of one kind of antisatellite (ASAT) weapon tests was timed to support discussions at an upcoming United Nations forum on norms of behavior in space.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced April 18 that the United States would ban tests of destructive direct-ascent ASATs because of the large amounts of debris they create. “These tests are dangerous and we will not conduct them,” she said in a speech at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
https://spacenews.com/u-s-asat-ban-meant-to-support-u-n-discussions-on-space-threats/
Kelly plays down Russian ASAT threat
by Jeff Foust — May 2, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/markkelly-sedona-879x485.jpg)
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said he did not consider Russia's ASAT capabilities tested last year to be something "that I would be too worried about." Credit: McCain Institute webcast
WASHINGTON — A senator and former astronaut said he did not expect Russia to perform another test of an antisatellite weapon because of the debris that posed a risk to that country’s own satellites as well as others.
At a panel session of the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum April 30, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), chair of the emerging threats subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he did not consider ASATs a threat to either government or commercial satellites in the near term even during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
https://spacenews.com/kelly-plays-down-russian-asat-threat/
Canada joins U.S. in ASAT testing ban
by Jeff Foust — May 9, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/un-geneva-879x485.jpg)
Canada’s announcement of the ASAT testing ban came on the first day of meetings of a U.N. working group on reducing space threats in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: UN
WASHINGTON — The Canadian government announced May 9 that it is joining the United States in banning tests of destructive direct-ascent antisatellite weapons as a step toward norms of responsible behavior in space.
In a tweet, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in Geneva announced that Canada would abide by the non-binding ban on such ASAT tests announced by Vice President Kamala Harris April 18. Such tests, Harris said at the time, create dangerous amounts of debris in orbit, and she called on other nations to join the United States in the ban.
https://spacenews.com/canada-joins-u-s-in-asat-testing-ban/
Op-ed | U.S. Antisatellite Test Ban Reveals a New Approach for Security and Sustainability in Space
by Brian G. Chow and Brandon W. Kelley — May 12, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vice-President-Harris-visits-Vandenberg-Space-Force-Base_7149332-879x485.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a U.S. ban on “destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing" during her April 18, 2022 visit to Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Michael Peterson
On April 18, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a U.S. commitment to forgo “destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing.” This carefully designed ban has the potential to be the first step in a new approach to security and sustainability in space. If so, the United States will be well-positioned to ensure peace and prosperity in space in the emerging era. However, if the U.S. continues its present course, it is unlikely to counter the range of space threats emerging over this decade and beyond.
To succeed, the new U.S. approach must be characterized by three elements.
https://spacenews.com/op-ed-u-s-antisatellite-test-ban-reveals-a-new-approach-for-security-and-sustainability-in-space/
Parallel Paths for Space Sustainability
by Jeff Foust — June 24, 2022 [SN]
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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaking April 18 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, where she announced a ban on destructive, direct-ascent antisatellite weapons testing. Credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Michael Peterson
When U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced in an April 18 speech at Vandenberg Space Force Base that the United States would ban the testing of destructive, direct-ascent antisatellite (ASAT) weapons, it was not entirely surprising.
Like many other Western governments, the Biden administration was sharply critical of last November’s Russian ASAT test that destroyed the Cosmos 1408 satellite and created more than 1,500 pieces of debris large enough to be tracked, and likely many more smaller pieces. Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense, said at a meeting of the National Space Council just a couple weeks later that the Pentagon “would like to see all nations agree to refrain from antisatellite weapons testing that creates debris.”
https://spacenews.com/parallel-paths-for-space-sustainability/
New Zealand joins ASAT testing ban
by Jeff Foust — July 3, 2022 [SN]
(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/comspoc-collision.jpg)
Space security experts warn ASAT tests like the one Russia conducted in November 2021 threaten the sustainability of satellite operations in low Earth orbit. Credit: COMSPOC
WASHINGTON — The government of New Zealand has formally joined a U.S.-led ban on testing of destructive direct-ascent antisatellite (ASAT) weapons in an effort to build momentum for a global prohibition on such tests.
In a July 1 speech at the University of Otago, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that the government would join the declaration by the United States in April that it would not conduct such “irresponsible” ASAT tests because of the debris they produce, increasing the risk of collisions with satellites.
https://spacenews.com/new-zealand-joins-asat-testing-ban/