{
  "id": 7682641,
  "title": "US brings space warfare into open. Where's India?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/us-brings-space-warfare-into-open-wheres-india",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T15:09:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/america-brings-space-warfare-into-the-open-where-does-india-stand/articleshow/134267641.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has acknowledged the presence of weapons in Earth's orbit for the first time, according to Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink. This revelation highlights the growing significance of space warfare in international politics. Despite the Pentagon's reluctance to disclose specifics about these weapons, such as their deployment date, targets, or functionality, it is clear that the United States, Russia, and China are at the forefront of this emerging space war architecture. India, too, has developed offensive capabilities in this domain.\n\nMeink's statement represents a shift in language and attitude within the United States. Previously, space was considered primarily a vulnerable military infrastructure rather than a weapons domain. However, recent events have forced this perception to change. In 2024, General Stephen Whiting, the commander of US Space Command, reported that Russia had moved from testing co-orbital anti-satellite systems to deploying operational systems capable of reaching American intelligence satellites.\n\nChina's aggressive behavior in space is another concern for the United States. In 2024, five Chinese spacecraft engaged in coordinated maneuvers in low Earth orbit, an activity described as \"dogfighting\" by the US Space Force. While some experts argue that these maneuvers might serve other purposes like inspection or surveillance, they also highlight the potential for co-orbital warfare.\n\nRussia's actions in space have been more overtly provocative. In 2020, the Russian satellite Kosmos 2543 released a projectile in orbit, which US Space Command described as a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon. Russia followed up with a ground-launched missile strike on one of its own satellites in 2021, creating a large debris field. In 2024, the US accused Russia of placing Kosmos 2576 into an orbit associated with an American reconnaissance satellite.\n\nThe development of such weapons is not a new concept in India. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India had established itself as a global space power by successfully destroying a live Indian satellite in low Earth orbit using a modified ballistic-missile-defense interceptor developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This achievement marked a crucial threshold for India's space capabilities.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}