The story so far:
The disclosure drew backlash from Russia and China, among other quarters. As per the U.S. Space Force, ‘space control’ refers to military activities required to control the space domain. ‘Kinetic’ generally refers to physically damaging an object through impact, such as by smashing into it. Non-kinetic methods include electromagnetic interference that can jam or spoof a satellite’s communications, and directed energy systems that interfere with its sensors. In fact, the current Space Force war-fighting framework recognises three kinds of counter-space operations: orbital, electromagnetic, and cyberspace. We do not know. We also do not know how many units/instances of the system exist, what they are capable of, which orbits they are in, and whether they are kinetic or non-kinetic. Mr. There is also no indication whether these weapons are the same as the space-based interceptors the U.S. government has planned for the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence programme. These interceptors are still undergoing tests.
On September 14, 2026, U.S. In 2025, the then-Space Force chief, Gen.
Air Force secretary Troy Meink said the country has “space control” weapons deployed in Earth’s orbit to defend U.S. forces against “hostile adversary action”. Chance Saltzman, said such a device could possess both “kinetic and non-kinetic” capabilities and could disrupt or degrade an adversary’s capabilities. Meink had said that while disclosing the weapon’s (or weapons’) existence would contribute to deterrence, revealing their operational details would subtract from the deterrence.
What will the weapons defend against?
Mr. Incumbent Space Force chief Gen.
Meink has referred to “hostile adversary action”. Douglas Schiess has also referred to “space-enabled attacks”.
