Some dangerous stuff has been going on up in space! The U.S. has had some problems with Russia and China, but with satellites. The spark began in 2013 when China launched 3 little satellites into orbit, and one had a robotic grappling arm. China has also shown its capability of sending little, low-orbit satellites that can maneuver to other spacecrafts.

Then, Russia got involved too. A Russian satellite in 2015 put itself dangerously close between 2 Intelsat satellites that were in orbit and the satellite was within 6 miles of 1 before moving away again. This satellite stayed in this position for months! People were suspicious that Moscow was up to something. They had some thoughts that Moscow is developing possible satellites, but for attack. These dangerous possible satellites have the ability to move through space, find a target, and approach it.

The U.S. unfortunately needed better defense for its own space assets. Luckily, the U.S. has been working on this, as the U.S. has already tested using a missile to blow up a satellite. Also, the U.S. has recently gotten 4 satellites that can monitor other objects in space. It seems that Russia and China have found the U.S.’s weaknesses- first the defense, the next being that the U.S. should prevent its communications network from becoming the source of the armed forces. “Our satellites are crucial for our national security infrastructure. The fact that another entity can come close to them and interfere with their work is very unsettling to U.S. national security,” Said Victoria Samson, who is from the Secure World Foundation. Yep, the U.S. has some things to work on.

The U.S. better up its game, because the U.S. has had a heck of a history with Russia and China, and now Russia and China want to take things up a notch, sending some conflict in space. This conflict has also brought up lots of opinions and ideas from people. “As human beings and more states are able to operate in space, it will just become a reality that it will become more militarized. The U.S. should develop effective but limitable forms of space attack, particularly non-kinetic ones that do not result in space debris,” Said Elbridge Colby, who works at the Center for a New American Security. However, some experts have a different game plan. These people say that the U.S. should be cautious, since the Pentagon might already have some offensive abilities that Russia and China are hoping to receive.

Teresa Hitchens, a research scholar at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, said that it is “brewing”.  She said that it is coming to “a potential arms race in space, where people start developing things for real.” Space war could have a dangerous effect on the humans, as 1 exploded satellite could leave a path of debris that could damage other satellites in a sequence of destruction. So, Space War I could be coming. Our space could depict a Star Wars scene if this gets worse.

Sources/Credits

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in-space-the-looming-threat-of-a-new-arms-race/ar-AAj51FQ?li=AA4Zpp&ocid=spartandhp from MSN. Maintained by MSN. By The European Space Agency and AFP. Accessed on 10/25/16 – 10/26/16.