A new threshold of the Second Space Race has been crossed. In September 2026, Troy Meink, Secretary of the US Air Force, unexpectedly announced that the US had stationed weapons in orbit. This marks the latest in a chain of space-related security developments, from a growing dependence on commercial actors to risky satellite maneuvers. Does that mean countries will soon start waging wars in space?
Meink’s revelation came as no surprise to experts, who suspect that most other countries active in space, such as China, Russia, and India, also have weapons stationed there and are continuing to expand their space capabilities. However, it remains unclear what kinds of weapons the US possesses.
According to astropolitics researcher Dr. Bleddyn Bowen, a likely option is jamming devices. These already exist on the ground and render other satellites useless by blocking or disturbing their signals. Another, less likely, possibility is kinetic weapons, designed to physically destroy space infrastructure. These could, for example, be satellites that shoot at or detonate other satellites.
Weapons of mass destruction, as depicted in works of science fiction, are unlikely. After the US and the Soviet Union conducted nuclear weapons tests in space in the early 1960s and wreaked major havoc, they were prohibited under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST).
The OST remains the main tool for governing the military use of space. However, because it was written when Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASATs) and private spaceflight were still futuristic visions, it does not cover many now-important aspects of space, causing many countries to demand measures to prevent an arms race in outer space. Notably, China and Russia have been calling for more regulation of military outer space, whereas the US is generally opposed to new binding norms in the domain due to lacking enforcement mechanisms in space and persisting threats from ground-based weapons. Accordingly, both China and Russia have condemned the announcement of US space weapons.
This does not mean, however, that the US is the only country trying to use space for its military advantages. Ever since the first satellite was sent into space, the Soviet Sputnik 1, space has primarily been a military domain. The Cold War Space Race was not only about the soft power appeal of landing people on the Moon, but also about demonstrating scientific and military hard power.
Since the time of the moon landings, humanity has grown dependent on satellite services for navigation, communications, finance, and more. Many space-based technologies, such as GPS, were first developed for warfare before they became widely available to the public, all the while remaining relevant for militaries worldwide. Because of the legal grey status of this “dual-use” technology, satellites used for civilian or commercial purposes can become vulnerable to military attacks. A war carried out in space could therefore cause severe economic damage on Earth.
New for today’s second Space Race is also the involvement of companies alongside states. Commercial players like SpaceX and Amazon are building large constellations in low Earth orbit and taking over former government functions like imagery or communications. As part of this, the total number of operational satellites has grown from 2,200 in 2019 to over 15,000 in 2026.
Because of these developments, the biggest danger of violence in space is not orbital weapons themselves, but the debris they produce when they destroy space infrastructure. For example, Russia conducted an ASAT test in 2021 in which it targeted an old Soviet satellite that created over 1,500 pieces of debris. These travel at almost 30,000 km/h and pose dangers to other satellites or space stations over decades. According to experts, only a few explosions are needed to create a chain reaction that might render some orbits increasingly difficult to access.
But, in some ways, war has already entered space. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has interfered with multiple European satellites. China is testing increasingly complex satellite maneuvering. In 2025, the Trump Administration announced the “Golden Dome,” a web of space-based missile interceptors. As a cherry on top, last month’s announcement of space weapons.
A silver lining can be found in a parallel development in space. In April 2026, humans travelled to the Moon for the first time in 50 years, introducing a new era of peaceful exploration of our solar system. Additionally, civilian space uses are gaining more importance. For example, satellite images are increasingly used in journalism, to detect human rights violations, and to combat climate change, not just to spy on adversaries.
This corresponds with the OST’s main points: peaceful exploration, innovation, and preserving space as a domain for all humankind. The question is now to what extent states will uphold these principles in a new era of great power competition.
By Sarah Weis
October 22, 2026
