Moscow, Sept 15 (V7N) – Russia called Tuesday for weapons to be kept out of space after the US Space Force confirmed it had deployed "on-orbit space control weapons" for the first time, with China also slamming Washington's move and urging it to "stop preparing for war in outer space."
"We believe that space must be free of any weapon," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarisation of space," he added.
The United States confirmed on Monday it had weapons deployed for the first time. "The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action," a US Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that did not provide specifics on the weapons.
"Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain—employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities," the statement said, adding that "these capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes."
China, Russia's ally, also slammed Washington's move on Tuesday. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged the United States to "stop preparing for war in outer space" and called for the preservation of space as a domain for peaceful cooperation rather than military confrontation.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty—to which the United States, Russia and China are all parties—bans the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, but is not a blanket ban on military activity. The treaty prohibits placing weapons of mass destruction in orbit, on the Moon, or on other celestial bodies, and it restricts the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes. However, it does not explicitly ban conventional weapons or military support systems in space.
The deployment marks a significant escalation in the militarisation of space, a domain that has become increasingly contested among major powers. The US Space Force, established in 2019, has been developing capabilities to protect American satellites and counter potential threats from adversaries. Russia and China have also been developing their own space-based capabilities, including anti-satellite weapons and advanced surveillance systems.
The announcement is likely to intensify discussions at the United Nations and other international forums about the need for new rules governing military activities in space.
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