The Rising Specter of Satellite Wars

By Allan Holmes

Advancing technology is making it possible to develop satellites that are so small that they can spy (undetected) on other satellites and come close enough to sabotage or destroy a satellite, the BBC reports today. The United Kingdom, as well as other nations, has launched microsatellites, some of which weigh as little as 22 pounds (10 kilograms). The lightweights are much easier to maneuver in space, making it relatively easy to sidle up to another satellite. With that capability, the specter of satellite espionage becomes more real.

Physicist Laura Grego, with the Union of Concerned Scientists, says it is time to update the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, signed by 98 nations including the United States, which lays the framework of international space law. Grego says space must be regulated to prevent spying and destruction of satellites. "Despite space being militarised, it has not yet been 'weaponized,' and this should be strictly prevented," the Union of Concerned Scientists believe, the BBC reports.

With more than 400 microsatellites having been launched, it's a pretty good bet to believe that a large part of any nation's satellite program already includes giving satellites capabilities to spy on other satellites as well as the capability to destroy another nation's satellites at a moments notice. Increasing regulation may be a bitter battle.