IN JANUARY, the Chinese government tested an anti-satellite weapon system by blowing a defunct orbiting weather satellite to smithereens. The debris was scattered at an altitude of 850 kilometres, and will remain there for decades.
The incident highlighted concerns about debris, the tension between civil and military uses of space, and the need for rules to govern space. As the world prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the space age (see "50 years in space") the question of how to resolve these tensions is becoming increasingly urgent, and one that will require the international community to face up to some critical issues over the next half-century.
It will not be the first time. When Sputnik was launched 50 years ago, the cold war was at its height and the event fuelled a fierce competition for primacy between the US and the USSR. Sputnik demonstrated that whoever could operate ...
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