The United States will no longer conduct destructive tests of satellites, Vice President Harris announced Monday, and called on other nations to agree to a set of rules governing responsible behavior in space as Earth orbit becomes increasingly congested with dangerous debris.
The announcement, made during a visit to Vandenberg Air Force Base on Monday, came five months after Russia blew up a dead satellite with a missile, creating a massive debris field that will stay in orbit for years.
At the time, Harris, who serves as chair of the National Space Council, condemned Russia, saying that “by blasting debris across space, this irresponsible act endangered the satellites of other nations, as well as astronauts in the International Space Station.” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called it “reckless and dangerous” and said he was “outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action.”
The Pentagon and intelligence agencies have many satellites in orbit that carry out a range of national security operations, from spying to missile defense, communications and guiding precision munitions. Russia, China and others have demonstrated that those satellites are vulnerable to attack — another sign of how modern warfare would play out in space as well as on the ground.
In 2007, China blew up a satellite in an act that created more than 3,000 pieces of debris, according to the Secure World Foundation, a think tank. In 2019, India also destroyed a satellite in a move that was condemned by the international community. The United States has conducted destructive anti-satellites tests as well, in 1985, 1986 and 2008, according to the Secure World Foundation.
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