The intergovernmental organisation believes it is only a matter of time before nations and private companies look to the stars to fight their battles, according to a report from Reuters earlier this year. Now two researchers have revealed the true extent of devastation space wars could bring. They said, far from being defined by huge explosions lighting up the night sky, space battles would be more subtle, using invisible technologies to wipe out satellites.
The world’s militaries are extremely reliant on satellite technology, especially GPS navigation systems.
Gareth Dorrian, post doctoral research fellow in Space Science, University of Birmingham, and Ian Whittaker, lecturer in physics, Nottingham Trent University, believe the consequences could be catastrophic.
The pair wrote in The Conversation: “The fact that commercial companies have this capability probably means that it already exists for global military powers. This has caught the attention of NATO.
“If a country or company can manoeuvre its own satellites into close proximity of others, then it can do so for military or sabotage purposes – potentially without detection.
“Such a concept deployed on satellites would constitute a “directed-energy weapon”, enabling nations to disable other countries’ satellites without creating large clouds of orbital debris. You could potentially make such an attack look like an accident and deny involvement.
“Lasers are also being considered as defensive weapons, with the idea being to take out attacking satellites’ solar panels.
“With no power, the satellite will be unable to communicate with the ground station and is essentially lost.
“A laser could be used to blind instrumentation on an opposing satellite thereby reducing the efficacy of either rendezvous or aiming software.
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Several countries already have plans to increase their military presence in space.
Towards the end of last year, President Donald Trump established the US’s Space Force which he said was to counter Russian and Chinese developments in space tech by implementing “a state-of-the-art framework for space traffic management”.
A report from the US Department of Defense says the Space Force would be “to deter and if necessary degrade, deny, disrupt, destroy, and manipulate adversary capabilities to protect US interests, assets, and way of life.”
This would include anti-satellite weapons, communications jamming technologies, and enhancements to the U.S. radar and GPS systems.
