Space Based Strike Weapons

Space Based Strike Weapons (SBSW) are systems operating from Earth orbit with the capability to damage or destroy either terrestrial targets (land, sea, or air) or terrestrially launched objects passing through space (e.g., ballistic missiles), via the projection of mass or energy.

Mass-to-target SBSW collide with a target, damaging it
through the combined mass and velocity of the weapon; or hit a target with inert or explosive devices. One mass-to-target SBSW concept is the US missile defense Space-Based Interceptor (SBI), which is designed to accelerate toward and collide with a ballistic missile in its boost phase.

Energy-to-target SBSW, often called directed energy weapons, transfer energy through a beam designed to generate sufficient heat or shock to disable or destroy a target. This beam could be generated using lasers, microwaves, or neutral particle beams. An example of an energy-to target SBSW is the US Space-Based Laser (SBL) concept planned for missile defense.

The deployment of SBSW would enable an actor to threaten and even attack actors on Earth with very little warning and would constitute a departure from current practice regarding the military use of space. The testing and deployment of SBSW in response to SBSW development would likely generate space debris, potentially undermining the sustainable use of space for all actors over the longer term. Some have argued that SBSW may be necessary to protect space systems from attack. Indeed, the protection of satellites and the missile defense potential of SBSW are two of the most commonly cited justifications offered in support of SBSW development

In summary, there have been no SBSW tested or deployed in space to date. The most advanced SBSW work during the Cold War was primarily focused on the development of mass-to-target weapons. The US and USSR both pursued development of energy-to-target SBSW systems in the 1980s, although today these programs have largely been halted. Prohibitive costs and reduced perceived needs led Russia and, to a lesser degree, the US to drastically cut funding for SBSW programs, especially the energy-to-target types.

About the Author

Hello, I've been working with technology for a while now, and thought something as controversial and interesting as space weapons would be an explosive first article. Usually and historically, I haven't delved into space topics as often as this since I usually focus on more daily use technology such as the best gps system for cars. I'll see. Maybe I'll add more space-oriented articles since they pique the curiosity of many.