US confirms weapons in orbit. Russia requires “weapon-free” space

“ We believe that space must be free from any weaponry”, declared the spokesman of the Kremlin (Russian Presidency), Dmitri Peskov, during the daily press conference.

“ We count on a broad international mobilization to continue the efforts aimed at a complete demilitarization of space,” he added.

Moscow’s position arises after the United States Space Force, a branch of the United States Armed Forces dedicated to space, announced on Monday that it has “armed space control systems in orbit, capable of defending the joint force against hostile actions of opponents.”.

According to US force, these systems have capabilities that “can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes”.

Washington considers that the two main geopolitical rivals, China and Russia, also view space as a potential theatre of confrontations.

Beijing, an ally of Moscow, had already asked the United States to “stop preparing for a war in space.”.

The military use of space has been following the space race from the very beginning, with the United States and the former Soviet Union exploring, since the launch of the Russian Sputnik in 1957, ways of arming satellites and neutralizing the equipment of opponents.

The first international concerns focused mainly on the possibility of placing nuclear weapons in space.

In 1967, the two superpowers and other states signed the Foreign Space Treaty, which prohibits the installation in orbit of weapons of mass destruction.

Since then, the United States, China, Russia and India have been studying ways to develop combat operations in space not covered by the treaty, notably against satellites essential for military communications, surveillance and navigation.