The US will avoid testing anti-satellite missiles, Vice President Harris announced on Monday, urging other nations to follow the Biden administration’s lead after a field of debris was created in space following the Russian test last November.
The self-imposed ban on the direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing was announced during Harris’ visit to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where he was briefed on the work of the Space Force and US Space Command and had met with members of the Space Force.
The Space Force, which was established by the Trump administration as the sixth branch of the military, and the Artemis program, which is NASA’s effort to return astronauts to the moon, have so far received support from the Biden White House.
Describing the anti-satellite missile tests as one of the most pressing threats to the security and sustainability of space, the Biden administration officials stressed they hope that the policy would become an international norm for other nations to abide by.
The announcement follows December’s request by Harris, who chairs the National Space Council, to the White House National Security Council to develop proposals for security norms in space along with other government agencies.
According to the administration, the reduction of the missile tests in space will keep it clearer of debris and materials that would prohibit exploration or damage the environment and will reduce the risk of conflict in space.
At least 1,500 pieces of trackable space debris and hundreds of thousands of smaller pieces were left in the wake of Russian testing a missile last November that struck a defunct space satellite, putting the threat of the anti-satellite missile tests into the spotlight.
The US officials and lawmakers have strongly criticized the test, warning of Russia’s potential interest in militarizing space and underscoring that the debris could endanger astronauts and other satellites.
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