U.S., China move closer to space security talks

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Ambassador Gregory Schulte said July 19 that the United States and China will meet soon to discuss the best way to make sure that both nations act in a “responsible" manner in the national security space environment, reports John Reed at DOD Buzz.

China has developed space capabilities and weapons designed to eliminate an enemy’s space systems and has a spy satellite capability to monitor targets for six hours at a time — a development that puts China on par with U.S. space surveillance capabilities.

The increase in recent years of the number of spacefaring nations has led to an increasingly crowded space environment, a development that has Defense Department officials concerned about potential damage to U.S. satellites from space debris and also the increasing militarization of space, the media outlet said.