Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Jane Harmon (D-Calif.) believe the US must respond to Beijing’s recent anti-satellite test, which they both said should have come as no surprise. Sharing the stage at a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies forum, the two lawmakers also agreed that the use of the term “weaponization” is polarizing and that’s not the path to take right now. Kyl has been advocating more funding to develop space situational awareness and operationally responsive space. However, Kyl maintains that “preserving space as a sanctuary may sound appealing in theory, but it would be undefensible in practice” should a future enemy use space assets to track and target American forces. Harman wants to forgo the weaponization discussion right now—“it’s not that I say never”—so that we don’t “lose the opportunity to perhaps develop better policy.”
The Space Force recently awarded SpaceX $739 million to launch nine missions for the Space Development Agency and National Reconnaissance Office over the next three years. Five of the awarded launches will be to build out SDA’s constellation of missile warning and tracking satellites in low-Earth orbit.
