Space Militarization
The weaponization of outer space — anti-satellite weapons, space forces, and the arms race above the atmosphere.
Anti-Satellite Weapons
The most visible form of space militarization is anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons — systems designed to disable or destroy satellites. Four countries have demonstrated destructive ASAT capability: the United States (2008), China (2007), India (2019), and Russia (2021). Each test involved launching a missile from the ground to physically destroy a satellite in orbit.
China's 2007 test was a watershed moment. It destroyed a defunct weather satellite at an altitude of 865 km, creating over 3,500 pieces of trackable debris — the largest single debris-generating event in space history. Much of that debris will remain in orbit for decades, threatening other satellites and the International Space Station. Russia's 2021 test created over 1,500 debris fragments and forced ISS astronauts to shelter in their return capsules.
Beyond kinetic kill vehicles, states are developing electronic warfare capabilities (jamming satellite signals), cyber attacks against satellite control systems, directed energy weapons (lasers to blind or damage satellites), and co-orbital weapons (satellites that maneuver close to targets to inspect, disable, or destroy them).