For the First Time, the US Admits to Placing Weapons in Space

The United States currently has weapons deployed in space. This was announced by the US Space Force on Monday (14 September) local time, confirming for the first time the existence of weapons in space.

“The United States has space control weapons in orbit capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile actions that pose a threat,” said a US Space Force spokesperson in a statement that did not provide specific details about the weapons in question.

“Space control encompasses the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain – using kinetic and non-kinetic means to influence adversary capabilities,” the statement continued, as reported by the AFP news agency on Tuesday (15 September 2026). They added that “this capability can be used for offensive and defensive purposes.”

Both Russia and China – the United States’ two main geopolitical rivals – are said to pose a potential threat to American interests in space.

“China is developing and operating space and counter-space capabilities as part of its military modernisation strategy, while Russia views space as a domain of warfare and believes that space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts,” according to the US Space Force.

The militarisation of space has existed since the space race itself. More precisely, shortly after Sputnik was launched into orbit in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to arm and destroy satellites.

The greatest concern at the time was about nuclear weapons in space. However, the superpowers and other nations signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, which prohibits weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

Since then, Russia, the United States, China and India have explored ways to wage war in space beyond the scope of the treaty, including by targeting rival satellites, which are crucial for military communications, surveillance and navigation.