COLUMNS

Great Power Competition Feeds the Threat Posed by Anti-Satellite Technology

undefined and Senior Military Analyst
Omar Lamrani
Senior Military Analyst, Stratfor

Apr 18, 2019 | 09:00 GMT

A composite image from NASA-sourced images.

A composite image from NASA-sourced images. Anti-satellite technology increases the risk that space will be littered with dangerous debris that could collide with important spacecraft either accidentally or during conflicts.

(VADIM SADOVSKI/Shutterstock)

Highlights

  • As demonstrated by India's latest anti-satellite (ASAT) test, the number of countries willing to pursue ASAT weapons and capabilities in space is growing.
  • The rising great power competition among Russia, China and the United States is driving ASAT use and development.
  • ASAT technology produces dangerous space debris that can disable important satellites and challenge the long-term sustainable use of space.
  • Unfortunately, adequate norms and treaties do not exist to regulate the ASAT risk, and the tense dynamics among global powers suggest they are unlikely to be formed in the near future.

More and more countries are developing anti-satellite technologies for exploration and defense -- especially as the great power competition among the United States, China and Russia heats up -- which increases the risk that space will be littered with dangerous debris that could collide with important satellites either accidentally or during conflicts. And the tense dynamic among countries with anti-satellite technology will stall any attempts to develop international norms or treaties to reduce the consequences of space debris and ensure the long-term sustainable use of space....

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