Space warfare Space warfare is combat that takes place in outer space , i . e . outside the atmosphere . Space warfare therefore includes " ground - to - space warfare " , such as attacking satellites from the Earth , as well as " space - to - space warfare " , such as satellites attacking satellites . It does not include the use of satellites for espionage , surveillance , or military communications , however use of those activities might be . It does not technically include " space - to - ground warfare " , where orbital objects attack ground , sea or air targets directly , but the public and media frequently use the term to include any conflict which includes space as a theater of operations , regardless of the intended target . For example , a rapid delivery system in which troops are deployed from orbit might be described as " space warfare , " even though the military uses the term as described above . A film was produced by the U . S . Military in the early 1960s called " Space and National Security " which depicted space warfare . From 1985 to 2002 there was a United States Space Command , which in 2002 merged with the United States Strategic Command . There is a Russian Space Force , which was established on August 10 , 1992 , and which became an independent section of the Russian military on June 1 , 2001 . Only a few incidents of space warfare have occurred in world history , and all were training missions , as opposed to actions against real opposing forces . In the mid - 1980s a USAF pilot in an F - 15 successfully shot down the P78 - 1 , a communications satellite in a 345 - mile ( 555 km ) orbit . In 2007 the People ' s Republic of China used a missile system to destroy one of its obsolete satellites ( see 2007 Chinese anti - satellite missile test ) , and in 2008 the United States similarly destroyed its malfunctioning satellite USA 193 . To date , there have been no human casualties resulting from conflict in space , nor has any ground target been successfully neutralized from orbit . International treaties governing space limit or regulate conflicts in space and limit the installation of weapon systems , especially nuclear weapons . History . Early efforts to conduct space warfare were directed at space - to - space warfare , as ground - to - space systems were considered to be too slow and too isolated by Earth ' s atmosphere and gravity to be effective . The history of active space warfare development goes back to the 1960s when the Soviet Union began the Almaz project , a project designed to give them the ability to do on - orbit inspections of satellites and destroy them if needed . Similar planning in the United States took the form of the Blue Gemini project , which consisted of modified Gemini capsules that would be able to deploy weapons and perform surveillance . One early test of electronic space warfare , the so - called Starfish Prime test , took place in 1962 , when the United States exploded a ground - launched nuclear weapon in space to test the effects of an electromagnetic pulse . The result was a deactivation of many then - orbiting satellites , both American and Soviet . The deleterious and unfocused effects of the EMP test led to the banning of nuclear weapons in space in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 . ( See High altitude nuclear explosion . ) 1970s – 1980s . Through the 1970s , the Soviet Union continued their project and test - fired a cannon to test space station defense . This was considered too dangerous to do with a crew on board , however , so the test was conducted after the crew had returned to Earth . Space warfare strongly influenced the final design of the United States Space Shuttle . The distinctive delta wing shape was needed if the shuttle were to launch a military payload towards the Soviet Union and perform an immediate de - orbit after one rotation to avoid being shot down . Both the Soviets and the United States developed anti - satellite weaponry designed to shoot down satellites . While early efforts paralleled other space - to - space warfare concepts , the United States was able in the 1980s to develop ground - to - space laser anti - satellite weapons . None of these systems are known to be active today ; however , a less powerful civilian version of the ground - to - space laser system is commonly used in the astronomical technique of adaptive optics . 2000s . The Peoples Republic of China successfully tested a ballistic missile - launched anti - satellite weapon on January 11 , 2007 . This resulted in harsh criticism from the United States of America , Britain , and Japan . See 2007 Chinese anti - satellite missile test . The U . S . developed an interceptor missile , the SM - 3 , testing it by hitting ballistic test targets while they were in space . On February 21 , 2008 , the U . S . used a SM - 3 missile to destroy a spy satellite , USA - 193 , while it was 247 kilometers ( 133 nautical miles ) above the Pacific Ocean . Japan fields the U . S . - made SM - 3 missile , and there have been plans to base the land - based version in Colombia , Poland , Romania and Vietnam . Theoretical space weaponry . Ballistic warfare . In the late 1970s and through the 1980s the Soviet Union and the United States theorized , designed and in some cases even tested an astonishing variety of bizarre and exotic weaponry designed for warfare in outer space . Space warfare was seen primarily as an extension of nuclear warfare , and so many theoretical systems were based around the destruction or defense of ground and sea - based missile s . Space - based missiles were not a target due to the Outer Space Treaty , which banned the use , testing or storage of nuclear weapon s outside the Earth ' s atmosphere . Systems proposed ranged from measures as simple as ground and space - based anti - missiles to railgun s , space based lasers , orbital mines and other such futuristic weaponry . Deployment of these systems was seriously considered in the mid - 1980s under the banner of the Strategic Defense Initiative ( popularly known as Star Wars ) . If the Cold War had continued , then many of these systems could have seen deployment : the United States got as far as developing working railguns , and a laser that could destroy missiles at range , though the power requirements of both were phenomenal , and the ranges and firing cycles utterly impractical . Electronic warfare . With the end of the Cold War and continued development of satellite and electronics technology , attention was focused on space as a supporting theatre for conventional warfare . Currently , military operations in space primarily concern either the vast tactical advantages of satellite - based surveillance , communications , and positioning systems or mechanisms used to deprive an opponent of said tactical advantages . Accordingly , most space - borne proposals which would traditionally be considered " weapons " ( a communications or reconnaissance satellite may be useful in warfare but isn ' t generally classified as a weapon ) are designed to jam , sabotage , and outright destroy enemy satellites , and conversely to protect friendly satellites against such attacks . To this end , the US ( and presumably other countries ) is researching groups of small , highly mobile satellites called " microsats " ( about the size of a refrigerator ) and " picosats " ( approximately 1 cubic foot ( ≈27 litres ) in volume ) nimble enough to maneuver around and interact with other orbiting objects to repair , sabotage , hijack , or simply collide with them . Kinetic bombardment . Another theorized use involves the extension of conventional weaponry into orbit for deployment against ground targets . Though international treaties ban the deployment of nuclear missiles outside the atmosphere , other categories of weapons are largely unregulated . Traditional ground - based weapons are generally not useful in orbital environments , and few if any would survive re - entry even if they were , but as early as the 1950s , the United States has toyed with kinetic bombardment , i . e . orbiting magazines of non - explosive projectiles to be dropped onto hardened targets from low - earth orbit . Kinetic weapons have always been widespread in conventional warfare — bullets , arrows , swords , clubs , etc . — but the energy a projectile would gain while falling from orbit would make such a weapon rival all but the most powerful explosives . A direct hit would presumably destroy all but the most hardened targets without the need for nuclear weapons . Such a system would involve a ' spotter ' satellite , which would identify targets from orbit with high - power sensors , and a nearby ' magazine ' satellite to de - orbit a long , needle - like tungsten dart onto it with a small rocket motor or just dropping a very big rock from orbit ( such as an asteroid ) . This would be more useful against a larger but less hardened target ( such as a city ) . Though a common device in science fiction , there is no publicly available evidence that any such systems have actually been deployed by any nation . Directed - energy weapons . Weapon systems that fall under this category include lasers , linear particle accelerators or particle - beam based weaponry , microwaves and plasma - based weaponry . Particle beams involve the acceleration of charged or neutral particles in a stream towards a target at extremely high velocities , the impact of which creates a reaction causing immense damage . Most of these weapons are theoretical or impractical to implement currently , aside from lasers which are starting to be used in terrestrial warfare . That said , directed - energy weapons are more practical and more effective in a vacuum ( i . e . space ) than in the Earth ' s atmosphere , as in the atmosphere the particles of air interfere with and disperse the directed energy . Practical considerations . Space warfare is likely to be conducted at far greater distances and speeds than terrestrial combat . The vast distances involved pose difficult challenges for targeting and tracking , as even light requires a few seconds to traverse ranges measured in hundreds of thousands of kilometers . For example , if attempting to fire upon a target at the distance of the Moon from the Earth , the image one sees reflects the position of the target slightly more than a second earlier . A projectile from a railgun recently tested by the US Navy would take over eighteen hours to cross that distance ( making the simplifying and optimistic assumption that it will travel in a straight line at a constant velocity of 5 . 8 km / s along its entire trajectory ) . Even a laser will need approximately 1 . 28 seconds , meaning a laser - based weapon system would need to lead a target ' s apparent position by 1 . 28×2 = 2 . 56 seconds . Three factors conspire to make engaging targets in space very difficult . First , the vast distances involved mean that an error of even a fraction of a degree in the firing solution could result in a miss by thousands of kilometers . Second , space travel involves tremendous speeds by terrestrial standards — a geostationary satellite moves at a speed of 3 . 07 km / s whereas objects in low earth orbit can move at up to 8 km / s . Third , though distances are large , targets remain relatively small . The International Space Station , currently the largest artificial object in Earth orbit , measures slightly over 100m at its largest span . Other satellites can be orders of magnitude smaller , e . g . Quickbird measures a mere 3 . 04m . External ballistics for stationary terrestrial targets is enormously complicated — some of the earliest analog computers were used to calculate firing solutions for naval artillery , as the problems were already beyond manual solutions in any reasonable time — and the issues in targeting objects in space make a difficult problem even harder . Additionally , though not a problem for orbital kinetic weapons , any directed energy weapon would require large amounts of electricity . So far the most practical batteries are lithium batteries , and the most practical method of generating electricity in space is through photovoltaic module s , which are currently only 5 - 18 % efficient , and fuel cells , which have limited fuel . Current technology might not be practical for powering effective lasers , particle beams , and railguns in space . Regardless of one ' s reasons for going to war , at present those reasons are not likely to suggest major targets located in space . Most of the main theories which attempt to explain human proclivity for warfare — psychological , sociological , demographic , economic , political , or otherwise — would not indicate space as a likely location of conflict until a significant population is engaged in large - scale activity there . Until then , space warfare is likely to take a supporting role to conventional , terrestrial warfare . Aside from applications such as communications , reconnaissance , GPS , and the like , which would be difficult or impossible without satellites , there do not appear to be any major advantages to basing weapons systems in space . The main reason is simply cost . Space warfare that involves humans being deployed in space to fight each other is not currently practical because of the difficulty and cost of sustaining human life in space , especially over long periods of time . Additionally , there are few things that could be accomplished by space warfare that any nation wealthy enough to finance them cannot accomplish far more cheaply through conventional means . Raising any significant mass beyond Earth ' s gravity will always require a large amount of energy , and the cost increases with mass . For example , though kinetic bombardment potentially offers the ability to strike any target anywhere in the world within minutes , both the United States and Russia , possibly the only nations with the resources and facilities necessary to implement such a system , have sufficiently long - range supersonic bomber s that the same target could already be deployed in a matter of hours at a mere fraction of the cost . General William L . Shelton has said that in order to protect against attacks , Space Situational Awareness is much more important than additional hardening or armoring of satellites . The Air Force Space Command has indicated that their defensive focus will be on " Disaggregated Space Architectures " . Possible warfare over space . Most of the world ' s communications systems rely heavily on the presence of satellites in orbit around Earth . Protecting these assets might seriously motivate nations dependent upon them to consider deploying more space - based weaponry , especially in conflicts involving advanced countries with access to space . Even without the further militarization of space , a future conflict conducted largely on the ground through conventional means might well be sparked by actions conducted entirely in space . Alternatively , the very threat of space warfare may be enough to put considerable pressure on the political system of a nation , such as the pressure which caused the formation of the Outer Space Treaty . Relatedly , though no infrastructure or economic interests exist at the moment to warrant the occupation of terrain on other terrestrial bodies within the Solar system , or to occupy orbital trajectories in outer space , some futurist s have predicted that should such infrastructure be deployed , space - faring nations may go to war for control of extra - planetary resources . Such a conflict could easily involve warfare both within and outside the Earth ' s atmosphere . One suggested point of conflict is the helium - 3 resources in the south polar region of the Moon . Russia has already stated its intention of developing this resource , and the Chinese lunar mission is scheduled to land in that area in 2024 . However , the high abundance of this isotope would make war quite unlikely . Space warfare in fiction . Space warfare is a topic often touched upon in science fiction , with a wide range of realism and plausibility , from stories based on anticipated future technology and tactics , to fantasy or historically based scenarios that happen to take place in a science - fiction background . Some portray a space - borne military will be similar to an Air Force , whereas others depict a more naval analog . Still others suggest forces more like marines : highly mobile forces engaged in interplanetary and interstellar warfare but with most of the actual conflict occurring in terrestrial environments . Both kinetic energy and directed energy weapons are often portrayed , along with various military space vessels . The Lensman series by E . E . Smith is an early example , which also inspired the term Space Opera due to the grandiose scales of the stories . The Ender ' s Game series by Orson Scott Card is a notable example in that it makes conjecture as to what sort of tactics and training would be required for war in outer space . Other science fiction authors have also delved into the tactics of space combat , such as David Weber in his Honorverse series as well as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle in their Mote in God ' s Eye series . A more recent example would be Alastair Reynolds ' Revelation Space universe , which explores combat at relativistic speeds . Robert A . Heinlein ' s Starship Troopers is perhaps one of the best - known and earliest explorations of the " space marine " idea . Space - based vehicular combat is portrayed in many movies and video games , most notably Star Wars , the Halo Series , Descent , Gundam , Macross , Babylon 5 , and Star Trek . Games such as the Homeworld series provide interesting concepts for space warfare , such as the use of plasma - based projectors that receive their energy from a ships propulsion system , and automated unmanned space combat vehicles . Other series , such as Gundam , prominently feature vehicular combat in and among many near future concepts , such as O ' Neill cylinders . The distinct fictional settings in which space warfare occurs are far too numerous to list , but popular examples include Star Trek ( in all of its various incarnations ) , Warhammer 40 , 000 , Star Wars , Babylon 5 , Buck Rogers , Flash Gordon , Battlestar Galactica , Mass Effect , Stargate , Freespace , the Halo Series and many comic book franchises . Video games have frequently touched the subject , with the Wing Commander franchise serving as a prototypical example . Note that very few games attempt to simulate an environment with realistic distances and speeds , though Independence War and both do , as does the board game . See also . Related to specific countries and facilities :