Says Space is Already Littered with Enough Debris

Vice President Kamala Harris made remarks indicating that the United States will not conduct destructive anti-satellite missile testing. 

Her remarks affirmed the country's longstanding position that the risks and downsides outweigh the potential defensive or developmental benefits of blowing targets out of the sky. Previous tests by Russian and Chinese programs distributed extensive debris clouds through their area of effect, scattering dangerous flotsam that can remain in orbit indefinitely. NASA administrator Bill Nelson released a statement in support of the position, pointing out that continued testing only serves to litter the sky with more high-speed projectiles, rendering future peaceful orbital operations that much more dangerous with every test.

“Fifteen years ago, China’s military littered outer space with thousands of pieces of debris from a reckless ASAT missile test. Just a few months ago, another destructive ASAT test by the Russian military threatened U.S. and European astronauts, Russian cosmonauts, and Chinese taikonauts in space, as well as scientific and commercial on-orbit assets."

“There is no doubt that human spaceflight and the future of the space environment are incompatible with destructive direct-ascent ASAT missile tests. Vice President Harris and the Biden Administration’s leadership to address these threats and reduce risk is an important step forward to foster a safe, sustainable space environment – now and into the future. I encourage the world to join us in making this important commitment.”

FMI: www.nasa.gov