[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1515 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1515
Expressing support for the draft United Nations General Assembly
Resolution A/C.1/77/L.62 calling upon member states to commit not to
conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests,
introduced by the United States at the 77th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 8, 2022
Mr. Lieu submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the draft United Nations General Assembly
Resolution A/C.1/77/L.62 calling upon member states to commit not to
conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests,
introduced by the United States at the 77th Session of the United
Nations General Assembly.
Whereas the United States is joined by countries around the world in relying on
Earth-orbiting satellites for--
(1) navigation;
(2) communications;
(3) financial transactions;
(4) media broadcasting;
(5) agriculture;
(6) detection and surveillance of threats and disasters;
(7) scientific research; and
(8) monitoring and forecasting of environmental parameters, including--
G (A) weather;
G (B) ocean conditions; and
G (C) vegetation health;
Whereas the United States is tracking more than 47,000 objects orbiting the
Earth that are larger than 10 centimeters, an increase of 47 percent
since January 2021, and further estimates a population of more than
100,000,000 objects larger than 1 millimeter orbiting the Earth;
Whereas orbital maneuvering to avoid collisions consumes onboard propellant and
shortens the lifespans of spacecraft missions;
Whereas the proliferation of satellites and debris orbiting the Earth results in
millions of potential collision warnings issued by the United States
Space Command each year, while satellites and debris are expected to
continue increasing exponentially;
Whereas destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests create large and
dispersed orbiting debris fields that deny satellites access to needed
orbital space and threaten to inadvertently destroy other satellites and
spacecraft for decades after such tests;
Whereas a destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test conducted by the
Russian Federation on November 15, 2021, long after the dangers of
orbital debris became well known, produced more than 1,500 pieces of
identifiable debris and threatened the safety of astronauts and
cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station;
Whereas a destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test conducted by the
People's Republic of China on January 11, 2007, created at least 3,400
pieces of debris, of which 79 percent is predicted to be in orbit 100
years after the event;
Whereas the United States adopted a voluntary moratorium on the destructive
testing of direct-ascent anti-satellite missile systems in April 2022;
Whereas methods other than destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite tests are
available to test defense capabilities;
Whereas the international community has previously banned destructive activities
in space, including the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons;
Whereas during a meeting of the Disarmament and International Security Committee
of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the United States
introduced draft UN General Assembly Resolution A/C.1/77/L.62 calling
upon member states to commit not to conduct destructive direct-ascent
anti-satellite missile tests;
Whereas on November 1, 2022, the Disarmament and International Security
Committee approved the draft resolution by a vote of 154 to 8,
demonstrating broad international support for the efforts of the United
States and sending it to the UN General Assembly for consideration; and
Whereas 8 countries have followed the example of the United States and committed
not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing,
including Canada in May 2022, New Zealand in July 2022, Germany in
September 2022, Japan in September 2022, the United Kingdom in October
2022, South Korea in October 2022, Switzerland in October 2022,
Australia in October 2022, and France in December 2022: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses support for--
(A) the United Nations General Assembly Resolution
introduced by the United States to call upon member
states to commit not to conduct destructive direct-
ascent anti-satellite missile tests; and
(B) the commitment of the United States to the
peaceful and safe use of outer space;
(2) recognizes Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, the
United Kingdom, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, and France
for following the United States in pledging to not conduct
destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests; and
(3) calls on other nations, particularly nations with
significant assets in space and that have previously tested
destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles and nations
that recognize the indispensable benefits provided by space
capabilities, to join the United States in adopting a voluntary
moratorium on the destructive testing of direct-ascent anti-
satellite missile systems.
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