Space Interests Cheer US Satellite Weapon Testing Commitment

Space interests applauded the White House announcement Monday that the U.S. committed to not doing direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing and is urging other nations to make similar promises. The U.S. "is demonstrating leadership at the international level," the Secure World Foundation said. "As productive discussions in multilateral fora continue on norms and principles for responsible behavior in space, this new U.S. policy sends a clear message about U.S. commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space." The announcement demonstrates "continued American leadership in establishing responsible norms of behavior in space," LeoLabs tweeted. "Working with international partners and commercial companies, the US has an opportunity to foster a safe space environment and protect the critical services that space-based resources provide to humanity, like global communications and essential climate data," emailed Planet Labs, which urged the U.S. earlier this month to lead an international effort against such weaponry (see 2204150007).