U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, described the Jan. 11 Chinese anti-satellite test as “a logical place to go” as China seeks to improve its space technology.
“Why wouldn’t a country go after that? We did this back in 1985,” Cartwright said at an April 12 session of the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. “We had an A-Sat. We learned. Let’s give them credit for trying to bring those [space] attributes to their country.”
Cartwright said the United States should not be too worried about the test and does believe the two countries should enter into a treaty over anti-satellite testing.
“Treaties in space are problematic,” he said. “We have to figure out what makes sense with science and commerce to go on. To me, we need to enter into a dialogue. Yes, defend yourself. Yes, have access to space. But it’s not a mandate for a race to space.”