US & Russia Discuss How to Avoid Tensions in Space

Article by Jacqueline Feldscher                                          March 24, 2021                                           (politico.com)

• Despite the fact that the two nations’ civilian space programs work closely together on the International Space Station, the US and Russia have had multiple skirmishes in space. In February 2020, Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond announced that a pair of Russian satellites was following a US space satellite too closely in orbit. In July, Raymond condemned a Russian weapons test designed to blow up assets in orbit.

• Space Force leaders have emphasized the importance of drafting international norms of behavior in space to ensure all nations can operate safely. Space Force’s Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt said that officials from the Pentagon and State Department are drafting language to send to the U.N. on responsible space behavior.

• On March 23rd, at Washington’s request, representatives from the US and Russia held an online video meeting to discuss responsible behaviors in space. It is unclear, however, who from the US participated in the discussion with Russia. A senior Biden administration official said, “It is a shared interest of all nations to act responsibly in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of outer space activities.”

• The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that the video meeting covered “a wide range of issues related to the security of space activities.” Both Russia and the US say they want to hold future meetings to make progress on the topic. “We look forward to future discussions to build mutual trust with Russia and other space-faring nations to work toward responsible norms of behaviors in space,” the unnamed senior administration official said.

Representatives from the U.S. and Russia met on Tuesday to discuss responsible

behaviors in space, a senior administration official told POLITICO.

Washington requested the meeting, the official said, adding that the discussion was “at a technical level.”

Tensions in orbit: The U.S. and Russia have had multiple skirmishes in space, despite the fact that the two nations’ civilian space programs work closely together on the International Space Station. In February 2020, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond announced that a pair of Russian satellites was closely following a U.S. space satellite in orbit, a behavior he called “unusual and disturbing.”

More recently, Raymond condemned a Russian test of a weapon in July that is designed to blow up assets in orbit.

Space Force leaders have emphasized the importance of drafting international norms of behavior in space to ensure all nations can operate safely. Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the commander of U.S. Space Command’s combined force space component, told Space News last month that officials from the Pentagon and State Department are drafting language to send to the U.N. on responsible space behavior.

The meeting: It’s unclear who from the U.S. participated in the discussion with Russia.

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