A resolution opposing the testing of anti-satellite (ASAT) missile systems received a resounding majority of votes yesterday, with only Russia and China voting against its ratification.

The Biden administration put forth the draught resolution after the United States imposed a moratorium on the ASAT exams on itself in April and urged other countries to do the same.

According to a U.N. report, nine countries, including Russia, China, Cuba, Syria, and Iran, voted against the resolution on Wednesday, while 155 nations supported it. In the past, anti-satellite experiments have been carried out by the U.S., Russia, China, and India (which did not participate in the voting). However, the most recent Russian test resulted in a cloud of debris that put orbiting spacecraft in danger, forcing the United States to intervene.

 Russia destroyed a retired Soviet-era spacecraft in low Earth orbit in November 2021, leaving behind thousands of debris fragments. As fragments of the destroyed satellite neared the International Space Station, the newly introduced space debris compelled the astronauts and cosmonauts to seek cover. 

Two months later, the debris also posed a threat to a Chinese satellite, with the Tsinghua scientific satellite coming within 48 feet (14.5 metres) of it. Clearly not a fan, the United States feared for its own space assets. 

In April, the White House issued a statement declaring that the U.S. will no longer conduct anti-missile tests, describing the tests as 'one of the most significant dangers to the security and sustainability of space' and denouncing Russia's ASAT missile launch as 'reckless and hazardous.'

Vice President Kamala Harris spearheaded the campaign against ASAT exams and urged other nations to follow suit. At a speech at the Californian Vandenberg Space Force Base, Harris declared, 'Whether a nation is spacefaring or not, we believe this will benefit everyone, just as space benefits everyone.' Prior to the U.N. vote, South Korea, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand. The U.N. resolution is a consensus among the member nations, not a blanket ban on ASAT testing. According to the U.N., among its demands were that all States refrain from carrying out such tests, continue their discussions about creating more concrete measures, and help create binding agreements to stop an arms race in space. wrote in its declaration.

The resolution's recent passage can be seen as a sign of the times—a hint that as countries launch their priceless assets into orbit, space could turn into a contested frontier.