Increasing debris and space traffic are putting pressure on the US Space Command

General James Dickinson, commander of the US Space Command, believes that the management of space transportation should be transferred to a civilian agency. During the Space and Missile Defense Seminar held this Tuesday (9), he observed the growing amount. Space debris The addition of resources required to track objects and missiles has made the job more difficult.

The new generation of the Space Command assembled in 2019 and, at the time, was tracking about 25,000 pieces. Space junk; Within three years, the number had risen to more than 47,000. “It continues to grow”, the general noted in his speech at the event.

According to Dickinson, the increasing amount of debris in orbit is very worrying. “We want to make sure we don’t have Low Earth Orbit We cannot operate safely in this,” he explained. “If you read the National Security Strategy, you will see that it talks about a safe and stable operating environment in the space domain.”

In addition to the issue of resources, the volume of work of the 18th Space Defense Force has increased significantly due to satellites launched by countries and commercial companies. “Much of this growth and development is beneficial, but so are the obligations associated with managing it Space Transportation Vandenberg Space Force Base controls the squadron’s resources,” he said.

Officials operating the base have to keep up with hostile activities and challenges posed by rival nations — according to him, there are about 100 Space Force defenders who support space surveillance, and they are under pressure. As a result, the Space Command is ready to transfer space transportation management tasks to the US Department of Commerce.

For this, the Office of Space Trade is implementing the necessary policies to carry out the work of managing the department. Space Transportation. “They’re working with us, and if they can do that, it makes a lot of sense for us,” Dickinson concluded. “Oversight should be a civil responsibility.”

Source: Space news

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