Space War

The greatest threat to the space environment is the testing and deployment of missile defense and anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. In January of 2007, China launched a ground-based missile into space and blew up one of its defunct weather satellites, producing over 2,000 pieces of debris larger than 5 cm, thereby increasing the total amount of space trash in low Earth orbit by 20% in the worst space debris incident ever. The single explosion increased the risk of debris collision by over 15%. Currently, there are no international laws restricting the testing of ground based anti-satellite systems. Anyone can blow up their own satellite in space without any legal consequence.

At this moment in time, the "Big Space Theory" works. But like the "Big Ocean" and "Big Atmosphere" theories that came before it, it is doomed to fail us as we continue to exploit and trash the space environment. In order to prevent an ecological disaster in space, international treaties must be strengthened so that they manage space debris and prohibit anti-satellite weapons on the ground or in space. A weapons race or war in space would destroy the space environment. Over the past decade, many countries, including the U.S., have thwarted efforts to begin negotiations to ban a weapons race in space. According to David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, "the U.S. should be promoting negotiations to protect our future in space as well as security on Earth." It is time for all the passengers on space ship Earth to embrace an ethic of space ecology, now, before space becomes too trashed for us to reach the final frontier of our dreams.