"The space industry is evolving, expanding at an extremely fast pace. As new players come on board the number of risk rises but so does the number of opportunities," said French Ambassador Philippe Étienne.
Though even global rivals had substantive discussions this time, "I imagine that it will start to get spicier," an allied expert said of the next meeting of the UN group that will focus on threatening behavior by military space operators.
"We recognize our ASAT commitment doesn't cover all ASAT threats, including space based ASAT systems. But we think it is important to take a first step to address the most pressing threats," said Eric Desautels, a senior State Department official involved in negotiating international accords.
Until now, no US administration was willing to do anything formal, even if only making a public pledge, that would tie the military's hands in any way regarding the use of ASATs.
One of the most worrisome trends reported by the Secure World Foundation and Center for Strategic and International Studies is the increase in the number of countries seeking to develop counterspace capabilities.