US Policy on Anti-Satellite Testing

The United States committed (April 18, 2020) to no longer conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing, and asked that the international community also make a similar commitment. The Administration stated that such tests constitute “one of the most pressing threats to space security and sustainability” given the debris fields caused by such tests.

China and the United States have conducted such tests in the past, but a recent test by Russia (November 2021) seemingly prompted this policy action by the United States. Russia’s test created a large orbiting debris field that potentially could endanger both commercial and U.S. government orbiting assets. At the time, the U.S. was concerned about the immediate impact to the International Space Station and safety of astronauts. Both NASA and the State Department issued statements condemning Russia's action.

Russia confirmed its test, but claimed that the resulting debris posed no risk to the International Space Station and its astronauts. Neither Russia or China have so far made no similar commitment to that of the United States.

(updated: 4-19-22)

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Space Debris Solutions

The United States Space Force of the Department of Defense launched (November 5, 2021) via its "SpaceWERX" innovation subsidiary, a program the agency is calling "Orbital Prime." The program seeks to help lead the development of systems and technologies to address orbiting debris. Teams are currently competing for initial funding worth $250,000 during the first round of contracts and $1.5 million in a second, future round. The agency is targeting projects where  companies raise matching funds from private investors. SpaceWERX seeks to award contracts for the initial phase of the program in early 2022, with a plan to launch an in-orbit demonstration within three years.

According to NASA, there are more than 23,000 known orbital debris larger than 10 cm . The estimated population of particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter is approximately 500,000. The number of particles larger than 1 mm exceeds 100 million. As of January 1, 2020, the amount of material orbiting the Earth exceeded 8,000 metric tons

(updated: 2-2-22)

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White House Space Priorities Framework

The Biden Administration released a Space Priorities Framework (December 2021) ahead of the first Biden Administration meeting of the National Space Council. The Framework includes two key policy priorities related to defense and security: 

• protect space-related critical infrastructure and strengthen the security of the U.S. space industrial base; and, 

• defend national security interests from the growing scope and scale of space and counter-space threats. 

(updated: 2-2-22)

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