In February, Rep. Mike Turner, chair of the United States House Intelligence Committee, said that there was credible evidence of a “serious national security threat” — linked to Russia’s development of nuclear-armed satellites, according to news reports.

If true, this would pose a serious danger not only to space systems but all activities on Earth. In fact, the security environment in space — where “space” refers primarily to the Earth’s orbit where satellites operate — is at a critical juncture.

The U.S. has historically dominated the space field, and President Joe Biden's administration has focused on areas such as international cooperation and sustainability, i.e., the conditions that allow humanity to continue utilizing the space environment.