The US has a variety of ongoing programs developing advanced technologies that would be foundational for a space-based conventional ASAT program, including maneuverability, docking, and on-board optics. The Experimental Spacecraft System (XSS) employs microsatellites to test proximity operations, including autonomous rendezvous, maneuvering, and close-up inspection of a target. For example, XSS-10 was launched in 2002 and performed maneuvers within 40 meters of another satellite. The Near-Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE), designed to provide support to ballistic missile defense, would employ a kill vehicle to encounter a ballistic missile at close range, with a sensor to record the findings. Although NFIRE is not designed for space systems negation, it could be modified for such use. Another missile defense technology currently under development which could enable space systems negation is the space-based interceptor (SBI). The SBI, tentatively scheduled for a 2011-2012 deployment, will test ballistic missile interception using small, light-weight kill vehicles from a space-based platform.

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Collard-Wexler, Simon, Thomas Graham et al. Space Security 2006. Waterloo, Ontario: Space Security Index, July 2006. [ 26 quotes ] [ page 136 ]