October 4, 2023
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Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile Tests: State Positions on the Moratorium, UNGA Resolution, and Lessons for the Future
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Ching Wei Sooi
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Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile Tests: State Positions on the Moratorium, UNGA Resolution, and Lessons for the Future
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Editors
Ching Wei Sooi
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This report by Ching Wei Sooi analyzes the evolving global stance on destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile tests. Prompted by the U.S. moratorium announced in 2022 and a UN resolution adopted later that year, the study explores why 155 states voted in favor of a moratorium resolution, yet only a fraction have committed to national pledges.
High-Level Findings Include:
- A significant number of states are concerned by destructive DA-ASAT testing
- A heavy emphasis on orbital debris was present throughout this initiative
- The difference in prioritisation of concerns between developed (stricter security concerns) and developing space powers (debris, access to space, and due regard under Article 9 of the OST)
- The geopolitical factor behind votes cannot be discounted – in some cases, surpassing the substance of the resolution in importance
- States voting against the resolution cite strikingly similar reasons
- Similar aspects of the resolution are cited as reasons both for support and opposition
- Narrowness of the Resolution
- Geopolitics
- Previous Destructive Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile Testing
- The Debate of Norms versus Legally binding Instruments
- The US spearheaded this initiative, and the support of some NAM states was instrumental to the resolution’s widespread endorsement
- Developing states’ need for greater technical and legal expertise vis-à-vis the effects of destructive DA-ASAT testing and the implications of a commitment
The publication is part of SWF’s effort to inform stakeholders, including policymakers, diplomats, and space security experts, on pragmatic steps toward sustainable space governance. It is also supported by the Swiss Existential Risk Initiative.
