Space Force confirmed it had deployed weapons into orbit for the first time.
China urged the United States on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) to “stop preparing for war” in space, after the U.S.
The biggest worry was once about nuclear weapons in space, but the superpowers and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, banning weapons of mass destruction in orbit. The U.S.
Space Force said on Monday (September 14) that it had deployed “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending… against hostile adversary action”, without providing specifics. China’s Foreign Ministry opposed the move, warning against the “weaponisation of outer space, turning it into a battlefield, as well as an arms race there”. “We urge the U.S. side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a news briefing. It also named Russia, another geopolitical rival, which it said “believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts”.
Since then, the United States, China, Russia and India have explored ways to fight in space outside of that treaty, including by targeting rivals’ satellites, which are key for military communications, surveillance and navigation.
