NATO proposes to Russia to refrain from conducting anti-satellite tests

NATO has proposed to Russia to conduct joint consultations on reducing threats in space and urged Moscow to refrain from testing anti-satellite weapons, Spain’s El Pais newspaper wrote on Wednesday, publishing the full text of US and NATO confidential responses to Russia’s proposals on security guarantees.

“[NATO proposes] consulting on ways to reduce threats to space systems, including through efforts to promote responsible behaviour in space; and Russia refraining from conducting anti-satellite tests, which create large amount of debris,” the document said.

In November 2021, the Russian Defense Ministry informed about a test, during which a defunct Russian space satellite had been successfully destroyed. The ministry emphasized that it was performing planned activities on bolstering defense capabilities. It reiterated that the main goal of the US new space strategy is achieving a comprehensive military superiority in this sphere.

The ministry assured that the remaining debris posed no threat to the International Space Station or other satellites. It stressed that the fragments had been included in the main catalogue of the national space monitoring system and began to be tracked right away. They will remain under observation until the moment they burn up in the atmosphere.