Ratified by 99 countries and signed by another 27, it says that space is the “province of mankind,” and all nations have the freedom to “use” and “explore” outer space, provided it is done in a way to “benefit all mankind.” Some of its sweeping and vague terms have never been clearly defined. The foundation of international space law is the U.N. National Guard, the potential for conflict in ownership of sites on the Moon and ways satellites might be used to spot hypersonic missiles.Įxisting space law offers little reassurance. Last month, Defense One issued a report highlighting the lack of international rules governing behavior in space, the growth of China’s military space program, the problem of space debris, a proposed space arm of the U.S. “While we’re not at war in space, we’re not exactly at peace either,” Richard said. Strategic Command, warned in 2017 that the country needs to be prepared to fight and win wars in all domains, including space. There has never been an armed conflict in space - but it is the next arena for combat.Ĭharles Richard, the deputy commander of U.S. Is this crescendo of activity a harbinger of international space warfare?įor now, we are witnessing nations testing their space technology. Just last year, Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test, and the United States activated two command centers for the Space Force, the branch of the military designed to conduct its operations in outer space. Two years later, India joined the list of nations capable of space warfare by destroying one of its own satellites. In recent years, nations have started flexing their muscles in space.įour years ago, China destroyed one of its weather satellites with a missile, creating tens of thousands of pieces of shrapnel, all large enough and traveling fast enough to destroy another satellite or pose a threat to the International Space Station.
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