China's demonstrated anti-satellite capability makes it critical for Washington to work with Beijing to avoid an arms race in space, according to a new report from the Council on Foreign Relations.

James Oberg discusses the recent decision to shoot down the US 193 spy satellite as an example of imprecise reporting on scientific topics.

The Pentagon is developing sensors to pinpoint a ground-based laser attempting to blind one of its spy satellites. The move will be interpreted as a further step towards the militarisation of space, say some experts.

The U.S. Air Force intends to field the first system explicitly designed to help counter anti-satellite missiles and other threats, The Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting System (Raidrs) Block 20, which they intend for it to collect data from open and classified sources to provide predictability in the event of an ASAT attack.

Just hours after a Navy missile interceptor struck a dying spy satellite orbiting 130 miles over the Pacific Ocean, a senior military officer expressed high confidence early Thursday that a tank filled with toxic rocket fuel had been breached.

The US might have to delay plans to shoot down a defunct spy satellite on Thursday because of bad weather. Waves in the Pacific are too big for US warships to get into a correct position to fire a missile at the spacecraft.

The State Department sent cables to all embassies yesterday instructing diplomats to explain to foreign governments how the upcoming attempt to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite is different from China's destruction of one of its orbiting satellites early last year.

The order by President Bush for the Navy to launch an antimissile interceptor to destroy a disabled satellite before it falls from orbit carries opportunity, but also potential embarrassment, for the administration and advocates of its missile defense program.

The military will try to shoot down a crippled spy satellite in the next two weeks, senior officials said Thursday. The officials laid out a high-tech plan to intercept the satellite over the Pacific just before it tumbles uncontrollably to Earth carrying toxic fuel.

The authors argue that on the 50th anniversary of the Space Age, the international community should take steps to regulate military competition and space debris to "protect our future in space as well as security on Earth."