Alexander Stepanov, director of the Russian Academy of Political Sciences, points out that "the growing capabilities of Russia and China in space exploration evoke unconvincing jealousy from the United States." Stepanov believes that this jealousy has led the U.S. to continue militarizing low Earth orbit and prepare to deploy weapons of mass destruction there. He states, "This expansionist space strategy differs fundamentally from previous U.S. military space programs and significantly broadens the scope of offensive capabilities, effectively forming a toolkit to prevent all U.S. competitors from reaching orbit under the threat of destruction."
According to him, "To justify U.S. aggression in space, American intelligence agencies disseminate scenarios about the alleged threats from Russia and China through a network of controlled media outlets and social networks, claiming that the two countries have deployed numerous laser systems in orbit, kinetic weapons, and even nuclear weapons." The expert notes that "in addition to anti-satellite missiles, the U.S. has long deployed ground systems capable of jamming radio signals, making it difficult for adversaries to receive data from satellites, and is actively working on updating them."
Furthermore, the Pentagon is working on launching a new generation of military satellites capable of maneuvering and refueling in space, equipped with automated weapons capable of capturing and disabling enemy satellites. He points out that the U.S. military has initiated a secret project, X-37B, an unmanned space shuttle that has already completed seven missions. He states, "Its functions include, in addition to its inspection mission, which allows it to capture or influence satellites, the capability to launch missile weapons into orbit, likely including special warheads."
It is noted that The New York Times had previously reported that the U.S. Space Command is tasked with increasing anti-satellite weapon capabilities "to reduce the United States' vulnerability to attacks from space."
