Most of Moscow’s military resources are tied up in Ukraine, while Beijing’s foreign policy prioritizes economic ties and avoids direct conflict.
Alexander Gabuev, Temur Umarov
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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.
Source: Space News

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.
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.
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.
Most of Moscow’s military resources are tied up in Ukraine, while Beijing’s foreign policy prioritizes economic ties and avoids direct conflict.
Alexander Gabuev, Temur Umarov
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