While the impact did create a debris field, you have to ask if the few hundred extra pieces significantly add to the 10,000 odd fragments that are regularly tracked up there already? It’s also questionable as to how long they’ll stay up there, since the intact satellite was already in a low orbit, and subject to atmospheric drag.

And maybe the White House and Pentagon are getting confused about the term ‘American Space Command’. It refers to command of American space assents, not to some staked out territory in space that is America’s to command. They’ve had a near monopoly for 40 years now, but difficult as it is, it might be time they finally have to learn to share.

btw: I think the militarization of space and competition for space is inevitable. I think it is a delusional view of human behavior and history to think that it will not happen.

The plan for lifeboat and others should be how to keep the competition economic and technological and not the shooting/killing kind. This should be doable because any competition where nations have their act together economically and technological, it should be to their advantage to peacefully get their cut. Only for losers does it make sense to try and fight for it. Small scale example, a smart capable person can make millions or billions running a legal business or being a legal financial pro or doctor etc… Someone who cannot make good legal money doing ends up resorting to illegally robbing a bank or convenience store.

If you are capable, you can stay inside the rules and win.

China was bullied into trade and political concessions like giving up Hong Kong.

China is doing enough to deter such an action.

I think you’re confusing the perceived interests of the Chinese Communist Party with the interests of the Chinese people. There are no significant foreign threats to China’s territory and its people that warrant the missile test.

According to your logic, North Korea is merely acting in its interests when it starves millions of people to funnel resources to the development of nukes.

It’s not self-interest. It’s reckless and aggressive.

The amount of debris, lost tools from astronauts, and abandoned satellites is already worrisome and has the potential to be catastrophic if china widens its testing program to include more important and crowded orbits like GEO.

I’m not saying it’s the only reason of course, all western democratic nations that have major dealings with china want to limit its military capabilities, but the thought of these tests taking out important systems like GPS or commsats accidentaly may have more importance

Weapons for peaceful purposes, there’s a new one.