The US has become the first country to admit deploying space weapons, marking a shift from exploration to weaponisation. Air Force secretary Troy Meink announced the deployment of 'on-orbit space control weapons' to defend against hostile adversaries, though specific systems remain unidentified. Military experts speculate these could include lasers, high-powered microwave systems, or attack satellites with robotic arms.

China and Russia quickly denounced the move, calling for a ban on space arms races, though both nations have long conducted covert counterspace testing. China demonstrated offensive capabilities in 2007 by destroying one of its own satellites, while Russia has been accused of triggering GPS outages across Europe since 2019.

The militarisation of space reflects the breakdown of international governance, particularly the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bans orbiting weapons of mass destruction. With over 80 countries operating 18,000 satellites—including Elon Musk's Starlink—space has become a strategic and commercial battleground. The Secure World Foundation's report highlights that space has been viewed as a warfighting domain since the 1960s, but recent developments raise risks of escalation and miscalculation.