Were going to fight from space and were going to fight into space.
No wonder thereare many concerns about the potential of war in space.
It is therefore refreshing that, on April 18, U.S.
Vice-President Kamala Harris committed the United States to not conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing.
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The declaration was expressed in clear and specific terms.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a visit to the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, Calif., on Apr. 18.
Under international law, declarations publicly made and manifesting the will to be bound can create legal obligations.
It will be of interest to see whether other countries will join the U.S. in making such declarations.
A graphic showing human-made objects in orbit around the Earth the red dots represent satellites.European Space Agency.
Placing or using weapons in outer space would increase the probability of conflict.
The weaponization of outer space is not inevitable rather, it is a choice.
International space lawplaces constraints on the testing and use of anti-satellite weapons and the disruption of radio frequency signals.
The law also limits other ways of causing unwanted interference with the space operations of other countries.
The benefit of all
Space is a global commons, available for all to use.
The U.S. unilateral declaration has provided the opportunity to work towards preventing the spread of conflict into outer space.
