The US May Disclose A New Top Secret Space Weapon In The Coming Months

Directed energy anti-satellite weapons for the future. (Lockheed Martin)  

Breaking Defense: Exclusive: Pentagon Poised To Unveil, Demonstrate Classified Space Weapon  

The push to declassify an existing space weapon is being spearheaded by Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

WASHINGTON: For months, top officials at the Defense Department have been working toward declassifying the existence of a secret space weapon program and providing a real-world demonstration of its capabilities, Breaking Defense has learned. 

The effort — which sources say is being championed by Gen. John Hyten, the vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff — is close enough to completion that there was a belief the anti-satellite technology might have been revealed at this year’s National Space Symposium, which kicks off next week.

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Update #1: The US may have a new top secret space weapon. What is it? (Quartz)  

Update #2: The US military may soon declassify a secret space weapon (Ars Technica)  

WNU Editor: It is not only space weapons that there is a push to declassify intel .... Chorus Grows To Declassify Space Threat Info From Services, Congress (Breaking Defense).

US Secretary of Defense Esper Says Russia And China Have Weaponized Space With Killer And Energy Weapon Satellites

Sociable: ‘Beijing & Moscow have weaponized space through killer satellites, directed energy weapons’: Defense Sec

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says that China and Russia have weaponized space through “killer satellites” and directed energy weapons designed to exploit and weaken the US military.

The Department of Defense [DoD] sees its adversaries advancing their military technologies, and so it is doubling down on its own.

“In space, Moscow and Beijing have turned a once peaceful arena into a war fighting domain. They have weaponized space through killer satellites, directed energy weapons, and more in an effort to exploit our systems and chip away at our military advantage” — Secretary of Defense Mark Esper

Speaking at the Air Force Association’s Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Wednesday, the secretary of defense stated, “China and Russia, seek to erode our longstanding dominance in air power through long-range fires, anti-access/area-denial systems and other asymmetric capabilities designed to counter our strengths.

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Update: China and Russia ‘have weaponised space with killer energy weapon satellites’ (Daily Star)

WNU Editor: The Defense Secretary says the US is responding to these developments .... Esper: Air Force, Space Force Leading Charge to New Technologies (US Department of Defense).

US Space Command General Says New Space Weapons Are Coming To Counter China And Russia

While the US military is concerned about Chinese and Russian advances in space weaponry, new technology to counter these weapons is being developed, US officials said. Credit: Handout.

Asia Times: Space weapons to counter China, Russia ‘coming’

US Space Command major general says new capabilities are on the way to mitigate looming threats

To say that officials at the newly established US Space Command face a clear and present danger, is an understatement.

America’s adversaries now have the ability to use jammers, ground-based lasers, ground- and space-based kinetic weapons, attack ground facilities that support space operations or even carry out a nuclear detonation in space.

China has already tested anti-satellite missiles, while Russia has deployed on-orbit systems that could threaten US satellites.

But according to Army National Guard Major General Tim Lawson, new capabilities are on the way to mitigate the threat — he just can’t tell you about them, because they are classified under the umbrella of “black budget” projects.

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WNU Editor: I see a new space arms race coming. 

UK And US Accuse Russia Of Testing A Satellite Weapon In Space

U.S. Space Command claims that Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon July 15, the latest in a number of Russian on orbit actions U.S. officials have deemed aggressive. (U.S. Air Force)

Space.com: Russia has tested an anti-satellite weapon in space, US Space Command says

The Space Force described the activity as "hypocritical and concerning."

The U.S. Space Command announced Thursday (July 23) that it has evidence that Russia has tested a space-based anti-satellite weapon.

On July 15, Russia "injected a new object into orbit" orbit from the Cosmos 2543 satellite and "conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon," the U.S. Space Command (USSC) said an emailed statement. The object is listed under the Satellite Catalog Number 45915 on space-track.org, it added.

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More News On Russia Being Accused Of Testing A Satellite Weapon In Space

UK and US say Russia fired a satellite weapon in space -- BBC
US military accuses Russia of testing space-based anti-satellite weapon -- The Hill
US and UK accuse Russia of launching new space weapon -- CNN
Russia accused of firing ‘weapon’ from satellite that could ‘threaten the peace of space’ -- The Independent
Russia conducted anti-satellite test in space, says US Space Command -- C4ISRNet
A Russian satellite caught shadowing a US spy satellite earlier this year launched a mysterious space weapon, US Space Command says -- Business Insider
Russian satellite test had 'characteristics of a weapon', says UK -- SKY News

Would China Or Russia Detonate A Nuclear Bomb In Space To Take Out All Satellites?

This 'continuum' of space-age threats included in the Pentagon's new space strategy includes the prospect of a 'nuclear detonation in space'

Daily Mail/AFP: U.S. is concerned that China or Russia could detonate a nuclear bomb in SPACE which could 'indiscriminately take out satellites' by 'frying their electronics', Pentagon admits

* Pentagon's new Space Strategy sees nuclear weapons as a 'very serious threat'
* Officials insist that 'we do have capabilities which detect these sorts of events'
* They accuse China and Russia of 'weaponizing space' to challenge the US

The United States is concerned that China or Russia could detonate a nuclear weapon in space, the Pentagon admitted yesterday.

A nuclear detonation would produce an electromagnetic pulse that could 'fry the electronics' of US spacecraft and 'indiscriminately' take out satellites, it is feared - although there would be no mushroom cloud in the vacuum of space.

The Pentagon's new Space Strategy sees a nuclear attack in space as one of the gravest threats to US interests, but assistant secretary Stephen Kitay insisted that 'we do have capabilities which detect these sorts of events'.

The document published yesterday accuses China and Russia of 'weaponizing space' while also naming North Korea and Iran as a 'growing threat' to US space operations.

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WNU Editor: If such a decision was ever to be made, it would cause massive and widespread damage in space that it would probably set back man's exploration and use of space for generations.

U.S. Space Command Says Russia Tested An Anti-Satellite Missile

Gen. John W. Raymond, commander of US Space Command and chief of space operations for the US Space Force. © Photo : Senior Airman Melody Howley//US Space Force

CNBC: Russia tests anti-satellite missile, US general says

* Russia tested an anti-satellite missile that is capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit, U.S. Space Command said on Wednesday.
* The Pentagon said it is tracking the test.
* “Yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” Gen. John Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command, said in a statement.

Russia tested a missile capable of knocking out satellites in orbit, the top U.S. space general said on Wednesday.

The Russian anti-satellite missile (also known as “ASAT”) is capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit, according to U.S. Space Command, which is tracking the test.

“Yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” Gen. John Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command and chief of U.S. Space Force Operations, said in a statement. “This test is further proof of Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control proposals designed to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting their counterspace weapons programs.”

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More News On U.S. Space Command Saying Russia Tested An Anti-Satellite Missile

U.S. Space Command blasts Russia for anti-satellite missile test -- Space News
Russia conducted anti-satellite missile test, says US Space Command -- C4ISRNet
US Space Command Denounces Russian 'Hostile' Anti-Satellite Weapon Test -- Military.com
Russia launches anti-satellite missile -- UPI
Raymond Rips Russian ASAT Test, Arms Control Hypocrisy -- Breaking Defense
Russia conducts another test of its missile system to take out satellites -- Verge
US Space Command Claims Russia Tested Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile -- Sputnik

U.S. Air Force Space Command Warns That China Could Blind U.S. Satellites With Lasers

The Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite is the U.S. military's most secure means for global communications. However, The Defense Intelligence Agency says China is attempting to develop methods for jamming its signals. Wikipedia

National Defense: JUST IN: Space Commander Warns Chinese Lasers Could Blind U.S. Satellites

China is developing new directed energy weapons that could degrade American satellites during a future crisis, the leader of the newly formed U.S. Space Command said Sept 27.

“We're pretty comfortable [in asserting] that they are developing directed energy weapons — probably building lasers to blind our satellites,” said Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, who is dual-hatted as commander of Spacecom and Air Force Space Command. “They also are developing pretty robust on-orbit capabilities that are very complex that could also have a dual-use purpose.”

“It's clear that China would plan to use those threats against us in conflict," he added.

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Update: China Could Blind U.S. Satellites With Lasers (Popular Mechanics)

WNU Editor: Those lasers must be incredibly powerful, and the Pentagon is responding .... Secret Pentagon Space Program Driven By Fear Of China (Forbes). I am old enough to remember when President Reagan initiated his "Star Wars' anti-missile initiative, when it came to lasers and particle-bean weapons the experts were saying that this was impossible.

The Pentagon Wants Particle Beam Anti-Missile Weapons In Space In Four Years

A mockup of McDonnell-Douglas' space-based NPB. McDonnell-Douglas via Aerospace Projects Review

Defense One: Pentagon Wants to Test A Space-Based Weapon in 2023

Defense officials have asked for $304 million to fund research into space-based lasers, particle beams, and other new forms of missile defense next year.

Defense officials want to test a neutral particle-beam in orbit in fiscal 2023 as part of a ramped-up effort to explore various types of space-based weaponry. They’ve asked for $304 million in the 2020 budget to develop such beams, more powerful lasers, and other new tech for next-generation missile defense. Such weapons are needed, they say, to counter new missiles from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. But just figuring out what might work is a difficult technical challenge.

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WNU Editor: The militarization of space continues.

The Pentagon Wants Particle Beam Anti-Missile Weapons In Space In Four Years

Budget Docs Show Pentagon Aims To Loft Particle Beam Anti-Missile Weapon Into Space In Four Years -- Warzone/Drive
US military wants $300M to start testing satellite-mounted lasers and ‘particle beams’ -- FOX News/The SUN
The Pentagon Wants to Test a Space-Based 'Particle Beam' by 2023 -- Popular Mechanics
The Pentagon Wants an Orbital Space Weapon to Blast Enemy Missiles -- Futurism

Has Russia Deployed A Space Weapon?

A Russian satellite (not pictured) is raising concerns after a Department of Defense official said the satellite is displaying 'very unusual behavior'

Daily Mail: Russian satellite displaying ‘very unusual behavior’ raises concerns it could be a space weapon - days after Trump announced plans for Space Force military branch

* Department of State official said at a conference on disarmament that a Russian satellite launched in October has been displaying 'very unusual behavior'
* Dr Yleem Poblete, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, said the satellite's behavior on orbit 'was inconsistent with anything seen before' and US has not been able to very if it is possibly a weapon
* Russia said the satellite is a 'space apparatus inspector' and has no hostile intent
* The concerns were raised days after Trump announced a military Space Force

A mysterious Russian satellite is raising concerns after a Department of State official said it has been displaying 'very usual behavior' and there is no way for the US to verify what it is.

Dr Yleem Poblete, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, said Tuesday that the satellite was launched in October and 'its behavior on orbit was inconsistent with anything seen before'.

'We don't know for certain what it is and there is no way to verify it,' she said in a speech at a UN Conference on Disarmament, a forum established to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements.

'But Russian intentions with respect to this satellite are unclear and are obviously a very troubling development.'

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More News On U.S. Concerns That Russia Has Deployed A Space Weapon

‘Troubling’ Russian satellite strengthens need for Space Force: US -- The Australian/AP
US concerned by Russian satellite's 'very abnormal behavior' -- ABC News
Mystery Russian satellite's behaviour raises alarm in US -- BBC
State Dept. alarmed about Russian satellite's ‘abnormal behavior’ -- The Hill
Space Weapon? US Calls Out Russian Satellite's 'Very Abnormal Behavior' -- Space.com
Russia accused of testing a 'killer satellite' in orbit -- FOX News/News.com.au
US voices alarm over Russia satellite's 'very abnormal behaviour' -- Independent
‘Very Abnormal’ Russian Satellite Escalates Fears of Orbital Arms Race -- Motherboard

U.S. Concerned About Russia's New Space Weapons

Wikimedia Commons

VOA/Reuters: US Raises Suspicions About Russia's New Space Weapons

GENEVA — The United States voiced deep suspicion on Tuesday over Russia's pursuit of new space weapons, including a mobile laser system to destroy satellites in space, and the launch of a new inspector satellite which was acting in an "abnormal" way.

Russia's pursuit of counterspace capabilities was "disturbing", Yleem D.S. Poblete, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, told the U.N.'s Conference on Disarmament which is discussing a new treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space.

A Russian delegate at the conference dismissed Poblete's remarks as unfounded and slanderous.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the Geneva forum in February, said a priority was to prevent an arms race in outer space, in line with Russia's joint draft treaty with China presented a decade ago.

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Update: U.S. Worried by Russian Space Weapons Program (Newsweek)

WNU Editor: The Russian response has been this .... Russia open to talks with US on strategic weapons (The Hill).

U.S. Intelligence: Russia And China Are Developing 'Destructive' Space Weapons

Photo Reuters

IBTimes: Star Wars: China and Russia are developing space weapons warn US intelligence

Joint agency report warns that China and Russia are working on anti-satellite weaponry.

A report by the US intelligence agencies has warned that China and Russia are developing space weapons to be used against satellites in future conflicts.

The report, which took input from the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency, says the two nations are developing "anti-satellite weapons as a means to reduce US and allied military effectiveness".
Japan launches the smallest ever rocket to take a satellite into space
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Satellite technology - vital for communications and intelligence gathering - has become a crucial part of any advanced modern military. In response, so-called counterspace technology has developed as an area of its own.

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More News On U.S. Intelligence Warning That Russia And China Are Developing 'Destructive' Space Weapons

China and Russia developing ‘destructive’ weapons for space conflict, US warns -- The Independent
Russia and China are developing 'destructive' space weapons, US intelligence warns -- CNBC
Russia, China Will Have Anti-Satellite Weapons “Within a Few Years” -- Popular Mechanics
US intelligence: Russia and China will have 'operational' anti-satellite weapons in a few years -- SpaceNews
China and Russia developing ‘destructive’ weapons for space conflict, US warns -- The Nation

Future Weapons Will Be Able To Blast Asteroids Out Of The Sky

New York Post: These next-generation weapons will blast asteroids out of the sky

If an asteroid struck the Earth, there are no fewer than seven distinct ways it could kill you.

If you’re lucky enough to dodge the rock itself, other effects of a strike include gusts so strong that they could wrench the limbs from your body, fiery blasts on par with nuclear detonations and towering tsunamis which could drown entire cities.

If you evade these horrors, you’re left to face down a powerful shockwave, avoid burning fragments of ejected rock and survive the earthquakes triggered by the strike.

Asteroids can even wipe out entire species: The dinosaurs were thought to have been done in by an asteroid.

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WNU Editor: Blasting them out of the sky is probably an exaggeration. The proper phrase is .... altering their course.

The U.S., Russia, And China Are Rushing To Weaponize Space

Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics: No Treaty Will Stop Space Weapons

Russia and China are shaming the U.S. for not signing a treaty against weapons in space. In reality, all three nations are racing to weaponize the final frontier on their own terms.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is fired up. In comments to the Russian media this month, Lavrov excoriated the United States for refusing to back the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS), a treaty to ban the placement of conventional weapons in space. “The United States continues nurturing plans to militarize outer space, I mean the deployment of weapons in outer space,” Lavrov said. “Which will, naturally, have very adverse consequences for problems of international security.”

The Obama administration wouldn't go for the treaty, and neither will the Trump White House. It's not hard to see why. The Air Force has flown a secretive unmanned space plane into orbit and tested hypersonic weapons that, if they ever work, could strike targets worldwide. The Pentagon has launched satellites that can maneuver to keep an eye on other spacecraft, which is a defensive move—but also could be the first step toward attacking them.

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WNU Editor:  The major space powers are not interested in curtailing the weapon prgrams when it comes to space. This genie has left the bottle.

This Weapon Can Penetrate A Hardened Bunker That Is Hundreds Of Feet Under The Earth

Like lawn darts, but with global repercussions

We Are The Mighty: These Air Force 'rods from god' could hit with the force of a nuclear weapon

The 107-country Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967 prohibits nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons from being placed or used from Earth’s orbit. What they didn’t count on was the U.S. Air Force’s most simple weapon ever: a tungsten rod that could hit a city with the explosive power of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. used what they called “Lazy Dog” bombs. These were simply solid steel pieces, less than two inches long, fitted with fins. There was no explosive – they were simply dropped by the hundreds from planes flying above Vietnam.

Lazy Dog projectiles (aka “kinetic bombardment”) could reach speeds of up to 500 mph as they fell to the ground and could penetrate nine inches of concrete after being dropped from as little as 3,000 feet

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WNU editor: You would think that these weapons would burn up when they enter the atmosphere .... but apparently not.

Mysterious Russian Satellites On The Move After Being Idle For One Year

David Axe, Daily Beast: Russia’s ‘Killer Satellites’ Re-Awaken

The trio of mysterious spacecraft were idle for at least a year. Now they’re zooming toward foreign satellites again—and no one really knows why.

A trio of mysterious Russian government satellites startled space experts when, shortly after blasting into low orbit between 2013 and 2015, they began dramatically changing their orbits, demonstrating a rare degree of maneuverability for small spacecraft.

Now after being idle for a year or more, two of the mystery-sats are on the move again. On April 20, 2017, one of them reportedly shaved hundreds of meters off its orbit in order to zoom within 1,200 meters of a big chunk of a defunct Chinese weather satellite that China smashed in a controversial 2007 test of an anti-satellite rocket.

By orbital standards, that's pretty close.

The Russian spacecrafts' impressive maneuvers have got observers scratching their heads. No one outside of the Russian government -- and probably the U.S. military -- seems to know for sure what the satellites are for.

Experts say the Russian satellites could be technology-demonstrators. They might also be precursors to orbital weapons.

Either way, the nimble spacecraft are "intriguing," Dr. Laura Grego, a space expert with the Massachusetts-based Union of Concerned Scientists, told The Daily Beast.

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WNU Editor: These mysterious satellite manoeuvres (and the speculation behind it) are nothing new .... Mysterious Russian satellite sparks ‘orbital weapon’ speculations (RT).

Is There Now A Russia - China - U.S. Space Arms Race?

CNBC: Space arms race as Russia, China emerge as 'rapidly growing threats' to US

U.S. satellites may be vulnerable to attacks that could make our whole way of fighting war riskier, according to experts.

"Every major space-faring nation that can track a satellite and launch into outer space has the means to mess up a satellite," said Michael Krepon, a space security expert and co-founder of the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, D.C.

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces is scheduled Wednesday afternoon to hold a hearing looking at the role space-based capabilities play in emergencies and the threats to U.S. space systems.

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WNU Editor: I know the Russians are worried .... Top Russian military brass warns nearly all low-orbit satellites within reach of US missiles (TASS).

The Incoming Trump Administration Will Take A Look At Developing Space Weapons

YouTube

Roll Call: Under Trump, GOP to Give Space Weapons Close Look

Programs to account for a significant share of defense budget boost

Missile defense and military space programs are likely to get a substantial funding boost under the incoming Republican-dominated government, lawmakers and analysts say.

Coming soon are a greater number of more capable anti-missile interceptors and radars deployed around the globe — on land, at sea and possibly in space, say these legislators and experts, several of whom have consulted with President-elect Donald Trump’s advisers. More government money will be directed at protecting U.S. satellites from attack — potentially including systems that can ram into or otherwise disable another country’s satellites. And senior Republicans who oversee Pentagon spending said in interviews this week that they support considering all such systems.

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WNU Editor: The press has not focused on President-Elect Trump’s thoughts on missile defense and military space programs .... as compared to his other defense proposals such as a 350 ship Navy or enlarging the U.S. Army. I predict that with time this is going to change .... developing space weapons has always been an expensive endeavor, and then there will be the reaction from China and Russia who will probably respond by expanding their weapon programs and initiatives.

Russian And Chinese Anti-Satellite Weapons Are The 'New Reality'

Systems like the US’s Space Surveillance Telescope (pictured) or the Russian space surveillance station Okno, which can detect satellite-fighters that hit enemies with an explosion, ‘won’t resolve the problem,’ military expert warns

Daily Mail: Expert says Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons are the 'new reality' and warns ALL US satellites are at risk

* Expert Vasily Kashin says satellites are defenseless against space weapons
* Observation systems detect malicious behaviour, but they cannot protect
* The expert warns anti-satellite weapons should be considered 'new reality'

Anti-satellite space weapons could soon pose a major threat to defenseless systems in orbit, military experts warn.

It’s argued that these types of weapons should be considered the ‘new reality’ when planning future operations – and Russia, China, and the US, along with India and Iran will likely soon have ‘domestically-made sophisticated anti-satellite weapons’ of their own, according to Sputnik.

While many countries are equipped with powerful space observation systems, including the US Air Force's Space Surveillance Telescope, these capabilities are unable to protect the satellites once a threat is detected.

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Update: New Reality: Future Space Weapons Will Be Able to Destroy Enemy Satellites (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: This is what I call a suicide pact. Destroying all of these satellites would create a debris field in space that would make it impossible to launch satellites for generations or make any space program too risky to undertake even if such a conflict should end very quickly.

A New Arms Race In Space Is Underway

Financial Times: Satellite wars

A new arms race in our skies threatens the satellites that control everything from security to communications

An unlikely memorial runs across the middle of the marketplace in Kettering — an otherwise unremarkable English market town. This slab of granite, set into the paving as part of a timeline of local history, reads “Russian Satellites: Grammar School Beats Nasa”. Etched into the stone is the distinctive outline of a sputnik orbiter.

Kettering Grammar School — like the space race — is long gone. But for a period it was on the front line of the extraterrestrial battle between Washington and Moscow. The Kettering Group — the school’s enthusiastic science masters and their eager pupils — became the world’s foremost amateur satellite sleuths, tracking secret Soviet launches and uncovering the location of a previously secret Russian cosmodrome from the workaday shire town.

WNU Editor: The above FT post is a comprehensive look at the weaponization of space from the beginning of the space age to the present day. China and the U.S. are the two principle players, and in a sign of the changing times, both countries have now established a "hot-line" between both capitals .... US and China set up ‘space hotline’ (Financial Times)

Is A U.s. - Chinese Space Arms Race Now Underway?

The United States’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptor. Photo: Reuters

South China Morning Post: Arms race in space gathers pace as China and the US test missiles

China and the United States have both launched missile tests in recent days, prompting analysts to suggest a space arms race between them is gathering pace.

China tested a Dong Neng-3 missile at the Korla Missile Test Complex in Xinjiang on October 30, the Washington Free Beacon said on Monday, citing two anonymous US officials.

The officials described the Dong Neng-3 as a “direct-ascent missile” designed to take out satellites. It was designed to target even those satellites with missile defence capabilities, they said.

WNU Editor: Stratfor has just published a detailed analysis on this "race" .... The Battle to Militarize Space Has Begun (Stratfor).