James Oberg counters some of the misperceptions and inaccuracies regarding space weaponization that have appeared in the press following the Chinese anti-satellite weapon test.
Much of the media attention that the new space policy did receive focused on assertions that it opens the door for the US to deploy space weapons. James Oberg pierces some of the hype surrounding this issue, from claims that the US is actively developing space weapons to efforts to negotiate treaties to ban them.
In recent weeks Russians have discussed the possibility of establishing a lunar base on their own, perhaps to refine helium-3. James Oberg examines these pronouncements and sees them as another effort by Russian companies to win foreign funding.
James Oberg analyzes China's civillian space program and finds that "despite Western theorizing about space challenges — a new moon race or even a military conquest of the heavens — the most plausible rationale for the Shenzhou program appears to be what Chinese leaders have always stated. They expect that it will be good for China, the Chinese people and for the ruling regime."
James Oberg argues that a "sobre reality check" is needed in the current debate about space weapons. "Space hardware with weapons-like applications has also been around, on Earth and in space, for decades — but using it to break things in orbit never made much military sense, then or now or in the foreseeable future."
A Russian arms control expert argues that the U.S. weaponization of space is unlikely because "are too many technological and scientific problems to put such a plan in action."
James Oberg discusses Russia's recent loss of an advanced spy satellite, their frantic search for the crash site, and the impact of this loss for Russian intelligence and early warning systems.
James Oberg testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the prospects for space competition or cooperation with China.
James Oberg argues, in response to recent claims, that the Pentagon Near Field Infrared Experiment is not a new or unique attempt to weaponize outer space.
China is planning its first manned space flight that if successful will stimulate advances in the country's aerospace, computer and electronics industries and give a big propaganda boost to the current government. China is also planning to deploy its own space station and has set its sights on developing the moon. Within a decade, China's space activities may well surpass those of Russia and the European Space Agency. And if China becomes the most important space power after the U.S., an entirely new "space race" may be in the offing.