AntiSatellite

News reports speculating about what the weapon could be abounded after Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, released a cryptic but alarming statement on February 14, 2024, regarding the information, which he framed as a “serious national security threat.” Some sources suggested a nuclear weapon. Others suspect a weapon that is nuclear-powered but not a nuclear warhead.The White House confirmed the following day that the Russian system under development is a space-based…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Fresh U.S. intelligence circulating in Congress reportedly indicates that Russia is developing an anti-satellite weapon in space with a nuclear component. News reports speculating about what the weapon could be abounded after Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, released a cryptic but…

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said he is “skeptical” of the threat posed by the development of a Russian anti-satellite capability in a recent interview on CNN. “n terms of destroying another satellite, like I said, there already ways to do that. There are these… what they call kinetic kills, where you can take a missile, no explosives necessary at all, because the satellite’s already moving 18,000 miles an hour,” Tyson said in the interview with CNN’s Abby Phillip. “All you have to do is get in its…

The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a "troubling" emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause "physical destruction" on Earth.White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability, but that such a weapon is not currently operational.U.S. officials are analyzing the information they have on the emerging technology and have consulted with allies and partners on the…

The White House’s statement comes just hours after Russia refuted early reports which claimed that they had developed and deployed a nuclear weapon in space to take down US satellites In a recent statement, the United States…

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution today asking countries not to conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite tests (ASAT) that create space junk. The US spearheaded the measure after the International Space Station (ISS) had a close call last year with more than 1,500 pieces of debris from a Russian ASAT.The measure doesn’t ban the development or testing of ASAT systems, but it discourages conducting them in a way that creates space debris. Although since it came from the UN General Assembly and not the…

Chief of Space Operations at U.S. Space Force General John Raymond testified before a hearing in July on Russia’s use of an anti-satellite weapon. Photo: Shawn Thew (AP)Yesterday, an overwhelming majority of countries voted in favor of a United Nations resolution against tests of anti-satellite (ASAT) missile systems, with Russia and China voting against its adoption.The draft resolution was introduced by the Biden administration after the U.S. adopted a self-imposed ban on the ASAT tests in April and then encouraged…

A Russian official's threat this week to "strike" Western satellites aiding Ukraine highlights an untested area of international law. A Russian official's threat this week to "strike" Western satellites aiding Ukraine highlights an untested area of international law, raising concerns among space lawyers and industry executives about the safety of objects in orbit. "Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike," senior foreign ministry official Konstantin Vorontsov told the United…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also created challenges for space diplomacy. At the UN meeting, several diplomats expressed support for Ukrainians in their statements. Each time, the Russian delegate reminded the chair that comments are supposed to remain focused on the issues at hand. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is going differently now, and Russia has a different delegate. It is possible they’re trying to be more hardline and shut down conversation,” says Victoria Samson, the Washington office director for the Secure…

US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the National Space Council on Friday/Photo: Marie D. De Jesús (AP)While speaking at the National Space Council meeting on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the U.S. will introduce a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly to call on other countries to refrain from conducting anti-satellite missile tests.Harris announced the self-imposed ban on anti-satellite (ASAT)missile tests at Vandenberg Space Force Base in April, vowing that the U.S. would no…