Space warfare may no longer be a thing of sci-fi myth, after the U.S. confirmed earlier this week it has weapons in orbit. But one expert says this isn’t a new concept. “It’s just that now the U.S. has officially given us the heads up ... on probably the worst guarded secret ever,” Paul Delaney, physics and astronomy professor emeritus at York University, told CTV Your Morning on Friday. Russia and China have also explored militarization in space, Delaney said. Both countries responded to the announcement this week with calls to avoid the use of weapons in space. Neither have said if they have weapons in space. “Those three big countries ... certainly have been engaged in this type of activity for decades, so they probably all have space-based weaponry,” Delaney said. What is a space weapon There are many types of space weapons, according to Delaney, depending on where they’re directed and their purpose. “If we’re talking about ground to space, we’re talking about missiles,” he said. “If we’re talking about satellite-to-satellite interactions, we’re talking about electromagnetic pulse opportunities,” he added. Who has this technology Russia, China and the U.S., according to Delaney. “Arguably, India as well,” he added. All four have shown the capability “of taking out satellites from the round.” On Wednesday, Russia deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryanbkov said the news wasn’t a surprise. Moscow, he said, has long advocated for a treaty to rule out the use of force in space or the threat of force against objects in space, but the U.S. and “other westerners” have not responded in kind. “But we believe that it is not yet too late to create an environment that would preclude an arms race with escalating risks of open conflict in outer space,” he said. China also warned against turning space into a “battlefield.” “We urge the U.S. side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news briefing on Tuesday, according to AFP. How would an attack impact us That depends on whether it’s targeted or a broad-based attack, Delaney said. A targeted attack might see one satellite “sneaking up” on the other and disabling it with a laser or electromagnetic-type system. A broader attack could mean a nuclear detonation which just by “exploding everywhere” could impact satellites used for GPS, weather, search-and-rescue and communication. “Those types of detonations would potentially be quite devastating to civilian operations,” he said. No rules in place There aren’t any rules prohibiting space weaponry, Delaney said. Agreements like the United Nations Outer Space Treaty and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talk II treaty talk about “limiting weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but they do not prohibit the weaponization of space,” he said. With files from Reuters and AFP
