A Balance of Instability - EFFECTS OF A DIRECT-ASCENT ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPONS BAN ON NUCLEAR STABILITY

David Salanitri 1 This range covers the period between the launch of the first human-made satellite into space (1957) and the end of the Cold War (1991). [...] NUCLEAR NEXUS | 5 that can threaten the safety of both satellites and humans in orbit.8 There is a growing international call to action by the space community to address several key issues of space governance, including the mitigation of space debris and the management or limitation of harmful, debris-producing counterspace weapons tests. [...] Continued disagreements have stalled the PPWT, and “it remains in a form of suspended animation.”11 In 2008, the European Union proposed a voluntary International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities to the UN.12 The effort focused on taking space sustainability measures and establishing norms of behavior in space. [...] space community, the crux of concerns regarding direct-ascent ASAT weapons is often focused on space sustainability and the future of the space environment. [...] For China and Russia, the apparent lack of interest in cementing a direct-ascent ASAT ban or test limits through the PPWT may be a sign that the two nations are not comfortable enough with A meeting of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, where Russia and the breadth of their own counterspace arsenals China jointly introduced the PPWT.