Spacecraft seizures and celestial armaments in orbit: The 21st century heralds space as the fresh battleground
In the realm of geopolitics and technology, the 21st century has seen a shift in the battlefield from land and sea to cyberspace and outer space. This evolution has become increasingly evident with the recent developments surrounding Russia's alleged creation of a nuclear, space-based weapon capable of disrupting satellites in low-Earth orbit.
This weapon, if deployed, would pose a significant threat to global communication, military operations, navigation systems, intelligence gathering, and economic supply chains, as more than 12,000 satellites currently orbit the planet, playing a critical role in these areas.
Russia's aggression was first demonstrated in 2022, when Russian forces targeted Viasat, a US-based satellite company used by Ukraine's government and military, causing an outage affecting wide swaths of Europe. More recently, a Russian hack targeted an orbiting satellite providing television service to Ukraine, broadcasting parade footage from Moscow during the Victory Day parade, a move intended to intimidate Ukraine and underscore the potential for warfare in cyberspace and outer space.
In response to this growing threat, the United States has taken several key actions to secure its interests in space and protect satellites. These measures include:
- Executive Order on Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry (August 2025): Signed by President Trump, this order aims to expedite federal licensing and environmental reviews for commercial space launches and re-entries, streamline regulatory frameworks to boost launch cadence, and build novel space capabilities by 2030.
- Space Operational Hardening and Threat Reduction: The US has promoted international norms banning direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests and space-based nuclear weapons through treaties and UN resolutions. Domestically, efforts focus on shielding and hardening satellites against debris and radiation threats, although implementation is slow.
- Space Exercise and Coalition Building: The 2025 Schriever Space Wargame introduced advanced technology concepts focused on improving space domain awareness, communication, and coalition-based data sharing to shorten decision timelines and better detect threats.
- Launch Capacity and Infrastructure: There is recognition of the need for seamless, increased access to orbit to support national security missions, including protected satellite communications with anti-jamming technology. Legislative measures have been taken to authorise greater space launch capacity, and studies on future launch infrastructure needs are underway.
These measures demonstrate a multi-faceted approach involving regulatory reform, international diplomacy, technological hardening, coalition operations, and infrastructure expansion to secure and protect space interests from adversarial attacks and other hazards.
The potential deployment of Russia's space-based weapon would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in space. In light of this, Rep. Mike Turner has pushed for a classified briefing to lawmakers on the weapon, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
As the world continues to grapple with the implications of this emerging threat, it is clear that the race to secure and protect space assets will be a critical component of global security in the 21st century.
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