Beyond time for a comprehensive space weapon test ban treaty

India’s test of a anti-satellite missile has created at least 400 pieces of orbital debris, only 60 of which are large enough to track and many going above the orbit of the International Space Station, placing the station and astronauts at risk, as well as creating massive new risks for ordinary space activities.

A Comprehensive Space Weapon Test Ban Treaty is needed, that would immediately ban the placement and testing of any future weapons in space and ban the testing of weapons already present.

Space junk is already a major problem incident to ordinary uses of space, for example, dead satellites and dead booster stages. To an extent, that is unavoidable.

But we CAN stop the deliberate endangerment of astronauts and space commerce (and frankly Earth commerce that depends on satellites) by enacting this treaty.

The existing Space Treaty unfortunately does not cover this particular kind of testing, so a new treaty that supplements the existing Space Treaty is needed.

much better use of resource then a militarized space force

It’s coming whether we we like it or not. He who controls space controls earth.

I think you’re missing the point.

Someone could destroy space. Make it impossible for anyone to utilize low earth orbit for decades if not longer.

I’d wholeheartedly support it.

I don’t usually respond to you for reasons that is obvious but I will make exception here.

Think about it. He who controls space control earth.

So what’s the option here?

Think space deniability…if you can’t control it then deny others from controlling it.

Nations that can’t compete against major powers still have that option to deny others.

There is another option entirely.

Countries try to reach a reasonable accommodation regarding space and nobody tries to control it.

Once upon a time, the United States and the Soviet Union were setting off nuclear blasts all over the planet. Cooler heads finally realized that was not such a brilliant idea and we got the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and put an end to it.

I believe, the United States, Russia, China, India and the other countries that have achieved spaceflight can agree to a Treaty that would ban placement and testing of weapons in the interest of humanity. There would, of course, be established a robust mechanism for ensuring compliance with the treaty and would permit each nation to regularly monitor the facilities of other nations to verify compliance.

I refuse to believe that humanity is incapable of reaching an accommodation on something so critically important.

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A treaty is good, but overall us preaching to others about this is like some dude who has been littering in a park for half a century complaining when someone else does.

You can banned space testing but that won’t stop development of space deniability.

So we must continue with developments in protecting our space assets while denying others from gaining that advantage.

China is well on there path to compete and to deny USA whether we test or not.

Here is related article expressing my concerns.

Did banning nuclear testing stop the development of nuclear weapons?

The difference being that mere testing of space weapons can make low earth orbit unusable.