In October 1959, the United States conducted its first successful anti-satellite weapons test. Less than six months after the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, the National Security Council adopted NSC 5802/1, which called for vigorous research into anti-satellite systems. Other officials, however, wanted to be able to shoot down Soviet military satellites. Some policymakers wanted to keep space safe for reconnaissance, in addition to non-military purposes. Space Weapons Programs in the Cold Warĭuring the Cold War, the United States was torn between competing priorities related to space remaining a sanctuary and developing anti-satellite weapons. To prevent the creation of even more debris, Washington should also work with other spacefaring nations to establish a moratorium on testing kinetic weapons against objects in space. Targeting command and control facilities on the ground using kinetic and non-kinetic weapons could negate adversary space capabilities without creating debris that would threaten American, allied, and neutral space systems. If the United States must “hit back” due to an attack on space systems, it can do so using non-kinetic capabilities (e.g., electronic warfare or cyber) or a kinetic response in another domain. military should focus on the development of non-kinetic systems that can disarm adversary satellites without physically destroying them. Charles Powell has persuasively argued that debris, which can remain in orbit for years, is one of the most serious threats to satellites. The use of kinetic space weapons during a conflict would create an enormous amount of debris that would harm the space systems that the United States needs for precision targeting, early warning, navigation, communications, and other critical functions. Washington should not, however, reinvigorate its former kinetic space weapons programs to address the threats to its satellites.
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