The old saying goes: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," and the pronouncement by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration that it will seek "a worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites," could put the United States on such a road. That the Obama administration has the best interests of the nation at heart in proposing a space weapons ban is not in doubt. What is doubtful, however, is whether the administration has thoroughly considered the full implications of such a ban, and when these implications are carefully weighed, whether a space weapons ban is the most effective way of securing U.S. space systems and ensuring the orderly use of space. Presented here are the primary reasons why the proposed space weapons ban is unworkable and undesirable.
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