ASATTest

ASATtest is a term used to describe an anti-satellite test, an operation to assess or demonstrate a system designed to disable or destroy satellites in orbit. Such tests may use kinetic kill vehicles that physically strike a target satellite, or non-kinetic methods such as directed energy, electronic warfare, or co-orbital approaches that disrupt or degrade satellite functionality.

ASAT testing has been conducted by several nations since the late 20th century. Publicly known examples include China's 2007 ASAT test that destroyed a weather satellite, and India's 2019 Mission Shakti test that demonstrated the ability to intercept a satellite. Other programs have been pursued with varying levels of transparency, including Cold War-era experiments by other spacefaring nations.

ASAT tests carry space debris risks. Kinetic outcomes can generate fragments that remain in orbit for years or decades, posing collision risks to satellites and crewed spacecraft. Debris mitigation and debris tracking considerations have led to calls for restraint and the development of norms among spacefaring nations.

Legal and normative frameworks governing ASAT tests are evolving. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction in space but does not ban conventional anti-satellite weapons. Various international fora discuss measures such as transparency, confidence-building, and debris mitigation guidelines under COPUOS and related bodies; there is no universal ban on ASAT tests as of the mid-2020s.