Another Wake-up Call

{
  "authors": [
    "Ashley J. Tellis",
    "Michael Krepon"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "SAP",
  "programs": [
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "East Asia",
    "China",
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Military"
  ]
}

In The Media

Another Wake-up Call

To counter the threat posed by debris from space weapons tests, space-faring nations should enact a Code of Conduct that bans further destructive tests of anti-satellite weapons.

By Ashley J. Tellis and Michael Krepon

Published on Mar 10, 2009

Source: Space News

Another Wake-up CallDebris poses a clear, present and growing danger to space operations. The latest wake-up call to take steps to address this danger was provided by the Feb. 10 collision between a dead Cosmos satellite and a revenue-producing Iridium satellite. This dreaded event may have produced the second worst debris field in the history of the space age. Debris travels at 10 times the speed of a rifle bullet at altitudes where hundreds of satellites used for intelligence gathering, personal communications and Earth observation operate. If a single piece of debris the size of a child's marble strikes one of these satellites, the international space station or the space shuttle it would strike with the equivalent force of a 1 ton safe dropped from a five-story building.

Some debris is inevitably released during every space launch. Extremely large spikes in space debris have been caused by space weapon tests designed to kill satellites on impact. In 1985, the administration of then U.S. President Ronald Reagan carried out a destructive anti-satellite weapon test, turning an aging U.S. weather satellite into 300 pieces of trackable debris. One lethal debris fragment from this test came within a mile of the newly launched international space station — 14 years later. It took 19 years for the debris caused by this test to burn out of the Earth's atmosphere. After this experience, the Pentagon lost enthusiasm for debris-producing anti-satellite weapon tests.

Continue reading this article here.

About the Authors

Ashley J. Tellis

Former Senior Fellow

Ashley J. Tellis was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Michael Krepon

Michael Krepon co-founded the Stimson Center in 1989. He worked previously in the executive branch and on Capitol Hill.

Security Military North America United States East Asia China Caucasus Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Diwan
What Does the Strait of Hormuz’s Closure Mean?
In an interview, Roger Diwan discusses where the global economy may be going in the third week of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Nur Arafeh
Commentary
Diwan
Tehran’s Easy Targets
In an interview, Andrew Leber discusses the impact the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran is having on Arab Gulf states.
Michael Young
Commentary
Diwan
The Gulf Conflict and the South Caucasus
In an interview, Sergei Melkonian discusses Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s careful balancing act among the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Armenak Tokmajyan
Collection
Conflict, Security, and Peacemaking
Domestic and international conflicts present myriad challenges for leaders, militaries, and civilians, including the effects of new technological capabilities on the conduct of war, the effectiveness of security strategies, and the intricacies of post-conflict peacemaking. Carnegie scholars provide timely analyses to address these and other related questions.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Europe and the Arab Gulf Must Come Together
The war in Iran proves the United States is now a destabilizing actor for Europe and the Arab Gulf. From protect their economies and energy supplies to safeguarding their territorial integrity, both regions have much to gain from forming a new kind of partnership together.
Rym Momtaz

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Diwan

What Does the Strait of Hormuz’s Closure Mean?

In an interview, Roger Diwan discusses where the global economy may be going in the third week of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Nur Arafeh

Commentary

Diwan

Tehran’s Easy Targets

In an interview, Andrew Leber discusses the impact the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran is having on Arab Gulf states.

Michael Young

Commentary

Diwan

The Gulf Conflict and the South Caucasus

In an interview, Sergei Melkonian discusses Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s careful balancing act among the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Armenak Tokmajyan

Soldier looking at a drone on the ground

Collection

Conflict, Security, and Peacemaking

Domestic and international conflicts present myriad challenges for leaders, militaries, and civilians, including the effects of new technological capabilities on the conduct of war, the effectiveness of security strategies, and the intricacies of post-conflict peacemaking. Carnegie scholars provide timely analyses to address these and other related questions.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Europe and the Arab Gulf Must Come Together

The war in Iran proves the United States is now a destabilizing actor for Europe and the Arab Gulf. From protect their economies and energy supplies to safeguarding their territorial integrity, both regions have much to gain from forming a new kind of partnership together.

Rym Momtaz