Executive Summary

We assess that space-based weapon systems will see rapid development worldwide, with major powers like the US, China, and Russia taking the lead and regional powers such as India, Iran, North Korea, France, and the UK following suit. The space domain is becoming an increasingly contested and competitive space, a trend that we expect to increase as modern militaries increasingly depend on space-based technologies for their operations. The proliferation of space-based weapons, however, carries an inherent risk of polluting the orbit with space debris that can threaten both military and civilian satellites and their services, from national security collection and monitoring efforts to severe weather forecasting to civilian communications.

Images Sourced From: Robert Mason, Paul E. Reynolds (USAF), U.S. Navy, G. Edward Johnson