(UnitedVoice.com) – When former President Donald Trump created the Space Force in 2019, critics laughed at him. He was undeterred, saying he believed space would be the next major battleground and he wanted the US to be prepared. Recent actions by US adversaries show he may have been on to something.
On November 16, Russia’s Ministry of Defense admitted it tested an anti-satellite missile. The country targeted one of its own satellites that had been defunct since 1982. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the destruction of the satellite created more than 1,500 pieces of “trackable orbital debris.” He went further, saying Russia’s claims that it opposed the “weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the test reckless, saying it poses a threat to a Chinese spaceship up there as well as the International Space Station (ISS).
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that an anti-satellite missile test by Russia was ‘reckless’ and created debris that is now a risk to the International Space Station and Chinese spacecraft https://t.co/NUXr6g1rpb pic.twitter.com/2yoalE7Nwn
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2021
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released a statement slamming Russia, saying the missile test put the lives of astronauts at the ISS in danger. He said they could be killed by the satellite fragments that are now orbiting space.
In July 2020, US Space Command Commander General John Raymond accused Russia of building space-based systems. China was also recently accused of testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon that orbited space at a low altitude before hitting its target. The communist country has also created an anti-satellite weapon.
The tension with Russia after its destructive test coupled with China’s weaponry are prime examples of why Trump thought it was so important to protect space. Is Biden going to take the threats as seriously as the 45th POTUS?
Copyright 2021, UnitedVoice.com
