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resolution, originally proposed by the UK, which [ SPACE ]
encourages member states, “to study exist-
ing and potential threats and security risks to
space systems” and to share ideas for rules
Crowded and of behavior in space that would reduce “irre-
Dangerous in space.
sponsible or potentially threatening activities”

Russia Sparks Concern
The proposed introduction of rules for space,
and the central role being played by the U.S.
AS MORE MILITARIES DEVELOP COUNTERSPACE Space Command in ensuring the safety of
CAPABILITIES, DEMAND GROWS FOR BINDING the domain, comes in the wake of Russia’s
RULES OF BEHAVIOR TO ENSURE SAFETY OF anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon tests. According
OPERATIONS IN SPACE to the U.S. State Department, Russian satel-
lites display characteristics of a “space-based
weapon,” thus threatening the safety of the
domain. China, the U.S.’ biggest adversary, has
Arun Sivasankaran
also tested direct-ascent ASATs on several
occasions.
With safety concerns growing as more countries invest heavily
in militarization of space, an international effort led by the United In April last year, the U.S. Space Command said
States and its allies to introduce rules of behavior in the domain Russia had test fired an anti-satellite missile that
has picked up momentum. could threaten American satellites in low Earth
orbit. Three months later, Russia conducted
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, set up by a non-destructive co-orbital ASAT test by
the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, had set a May injecting a sub-satellite, Cosmos-2543, from an
3 deadline for countries to provide input aimed at introducing “inspector satellite,” Cosmos-2542. According
guidelines that ensure safety of operations in space. The panel to the U.S., Cosmos-2543 was chasing USA
will include the feedback in a report that will be reviewed by the 245, a classified imaging satellite owned by
UN General Assembly during the summer. the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. In
December last year, the country tested its
A team of Defence and State Department officials, and their coun- PL19/Nudol direct-ascent ASAT system again,
terparts in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Australia the second test in less than a year.
and New Zealand, worked together to provide input for binding
“norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviors” in space. It “Russia’s direct-ascent anti-satellite test pro-
may be recalled that the UN had in December last year adopted a vides yet another example that the threats to

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