Space News:
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to build a constellation of warning satellites to defend the United States and allies from missile attacks. Congress also directed the Pentagon to study the possibility of deploying weapons in space to shoot down enemy missiles.
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood said the Defense Department is following congressional orders and looking at the technological and security implications of putting interceptor missiles in space. But he cautioned the Pentagon is not yet ready to endorse the idea or proceed ahead with a program.
“Those are bridges yet to be crossed,” Rood said on Tuesday at a conference on Capitol Hill organized by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. A decision on whether the United States should deploy defensive weapons in space is “some time away given the level of examination” that is required, Rood said.
