U.S. currently has no plans to develop or deploy anti-satellite space weapons.
Keywords: Anti-Satellite Weapon (ASAT).
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It's not just the hard-line Russian commentators or the North Korean press that alleges that US military forces are already armed to the teeth for space warfare: the same explicit assumption often appears in the mainstream Western press as well. Sometimes the argument even goes, “Well, there’s no official acknowledgement of them—that proves they exist in secret” (as if the absence of evidence were transformed into evidence of presence). But since the 1985 air-launch satellite intercept, a project cancelled by Congress, there is no evidence that a new satellite-killer technology has been developed. Laser tests seem focused on interfering with satellite observation equipment, as well as to determine how to develop US countermeasures against other countries using lasers to interfere with US observation satellites. Non-destructive radio spoofing seems to be the limit of the amount of force—short of setting off a nuclear weapon in space, which would be suicidal—the US is currently prepared to use against space objects. Oberg, James. "The Dozen Space Weapons Myths." The Space Review. March 17, 2007.
Despite the recent destruction of a failing U.S. satellite in orbit, a senior military commander said today that policy concerns preclude fielding a dedicated antisatellite capability (see GSN, Feb. 15). The Defense Department on Feb. 20 used a modified Navy Standard 3 missile interceptor to eliminate the dysfunctional spy satellite, citing concerns that toxic fuel onboard could have posed a health threat if the space vehicle had been allowed to tumble back to Earth on its own. In terms of developing a future air-, land- or sea-based antisatellite system that might deny adversaries the use of space, U.S. policy dictates that the military "'be prepared,' [but] it doesn't say 'go do,'" Air Force Space Command head Gen. Robert Kehler said at a breakfast session with the Defense Writers Group. "I'm not ready to say" that the United States should be "operationalizing some kind of an antisatellite weapon," the general told reporters. Rather, Kehler said he plans to focus his Colorado Springs, Colo., command on improving the nation's ability to monitor activities in space. "Air Force in No Rush for U.S. Antisatellite Weapons." Global Security Newswire. April 1, 2008.