US denounces the country’s anti-satellite weapon’s tests, calling it “destructive”, China and Russia respond…
Kamala Harris, Vice President of United States, speaking at Space Force station in Vandenberg, has announced that they will no longer be conducting anti-satellite missile tests. We have constantly condemned these tests and this decision has been taken to curb the rising problem of space debris, she further added. Space debris can travel at over a thousand kilometers per hour and has the potential to destroy any satellite. India, China, Russia and US, have all conducted them, generating space debris while doing so. was part of the Biden administration’s strategy to promote responsible use of space. She also urged other countries to become more responsible while using space and to stop these tests.
Stopping the ASAT missile testing will protect satellites, astronauts and commercial space activities in the future. It can further disrupt technologies such as GPS and weather warning forecasts.
China’s response:
Chinese Spokesperson Wang Wenbin has responded that the country hopes that The US will indeed assume the responsibilities of a Superpower and revise USA’s negative actions within space, and to stop the practice of hypocritically expanding their military might. The diplomat further said that China always has advocated usage of space for peaceful purposes, noting that in 2008, Russia and China, together proposed a treaty, on disarmament that bans the deploying weapons in space.
Russia’s Response:
Meanwhile, Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov has informed Sputnik news that the country considers USA’s decision to be stop testing anti-satellite missiles, a move in the right direction. He further added Russia’s and China first proposed to develop a treaty on not being the first to place weapons in outer space. And that the US already completed tests of anti-satellite weapons in the past.
Russia also asked the US to respond on their proposal for prohibition on medium-range weapons system’s deployment, and whether Washington is ready reconsider it positively, for a commitment in not deploying these systems anywhere. Moscow further called Washington on, to return to negotiations on this issue.
As per reports, The US government’s decision to ban the ASAT weapons, is in response to Russia’s testing of its anti-satellite missile system, conducted in late 2021, after Russia destroyed its own Soviet made spacecraft named Celina-D. Russian officials said that the test was not in direction towards at any country and was conducted in accordance to international laws and considering the Space Treaty of 1967. The statement further added that the debris does not threaten other spacecrafts, including the ISS, due to its location being far away.
