In addition to active investments in counter-space programs by France, India, Iran, Japan, and North Korea, dominant players such as China, Russia, and the United States lead in the research, development, testing, and systems and weapons operationalization domains, enhancing the risk of future conflicts in space. According to the Secure World Foundation’s 2022 Global Counterspace Capabilities report, “an increasing number of countries are looking to use space to enhance their military capabilities and national security” by developing a broad range of defensive and offensive dual-use technologies. Countries around the world are making unprecedented commitments to civilian space exploration as well as its militarization. Yet, the weaponization of outer space is ongoing. Likewise, the US State Department and NASA have spearheaded the Artemis Accords - or a non-binding declaration of principles and rules grounded in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty - to ensure safe and transparent civil space exploration, and promote “peaceful cooperation in space exploration and scientific endeavors.” For this purpose, both sides expressed the need to advance the Russian-Chinese draft treaty on the prevention of placement of weapons in outer space as well as to strengthen the role of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as a platform for coordinating international cooperation and developing international space law. The remarks are in line with an earlier Sino-Russian February 2022 joint statement opposing plans to turn outer space into an arena of armed confrontation. Vorontsov expressed concerns over the US efforts to extend weapons systems in outer space “designed for the threat or use of force.” Taking advantage of the forum, the Russian Federation reiterated the need for international commitments regarding the weaponization and militarization of outer space to prevent a full-fledged arms race. In an October 26 statement at the Thematic Discussion on Outer Space of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation Konstantin Vorontsov warned that the use of outer space civil infrastructure facilities and commercial satellites in armed conflicts by the United States and its allies may make them legitimate targets for Russian retaliatory strikes. The war in Ukraine has hastened the prospects of coming space wars.
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