"US Confirms On-Orbit Weapons, Exposing Gaps in Space Law"
Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967
The primary international law on space; bans WMDs in orbit but not conventional weapons.
Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS)
A weapon placed in low stable orbit and deorbited onto a target, evading radar.
The militarisation of space began almost simultaneously with the space age itself. When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, both superpowers immediately began exploring ways to use orbital platforms for military advantage. Early programmes included reconnaissance satellites and anti-satellite weapons, blurring the line between civilian and military space use from the very start.
The most significant legal response was the Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967, which remains the foundational framework for international space law. The OST prohibits placing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear weapons, in orbit or on celestial bodies. It designates the Moon and other celestial bodies as exclusively peaceful zones. Crucially, the OST does not ban conventional weapons in orbit, nor does it prohibit military activities in space more broadly. This legal gap has allowed states to develop and deploy non-WMD space weapons without technically violating the treaty.
One historically significant concept that illustrates on-orbit offensive capability is the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), originally developed by the Soviet Union. FOBS places a warhead into a low, stable orbit and then deorbits it onto a target. Because the weapon approaches from an unexpected direction and at a lower trajectory than a traditional intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), it can evade conventional early-warning radar systems designed to detect high-arc ballistic trajectories. This is fundamentally different from a cruise missile, which is jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout its flight, or a ballistic missile, which is rocket-powered only in the initial phase and follows a predictable parabolic arc. FOBS exploits orbital mechanics itself as the delivery mechanism, which is precisely the category of capability the US Space Force has now confirmed it possesses in some form.
The US Space Force, established in 2019 as the sixth branch of the US Armed Forces, is responsible for organising, training, and equipping forces to protect US and allied interests in space. Its public confirmation that the United States has active weapons deployed in orbit marks a historic shift from strategic ambiguity to open deterrence. No country had previously made such an admission.
Space weapons fall into two broad categories. Kinetic weapons cause physical destruction. These include ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles that destroy satellites in orbit, and on-orbit weapons that can target other space-based assets or strike ground targets from space. Non-kinetic weapons disrupt without physical destruction. These include jamming systems that block communications between satellites and ground stations, directed-energy weapons such as lasers, and cyber tools that compromise satellite control networks. …
Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System" often talked about in media?
Consider the following statements:
1.Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight.
2.Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the 'Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS)'?
Consider the following statements regarding the Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967:
1.It prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit around the Earth.
2.It explicitly bans the deployment of conventional weapons in outer space.
3.It designates the Moon and other celestial bodies as exclusively peaceful zones.
4.It prohibits earth-to-space anti-satellite missile tests.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities:
1.India demonstrated its ASAT capability through Mission Shakti in 2019.
2.The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 explicitly prohibits ground-based ASAT missile tests.
3.The US, Russia, China, and India are the only four countries to have demonstrated kinetic ASAT capability.
4.ASAT tests that destroy satellites generate debris fields that can threaten other satellites in nearby orbits.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following space-related instruments/initiatives with their correct descriptions:
1.Outer Space Treaty (1967) — (a) Voluntary code of conduct for space exploration with over 70 signatories
2.Artemis Accords — (b) Bans WMDs in orbit; silent on conventional weapons
3.PPWT (proposed ~2008) — (c) China-Russia proposal to ban all weapons in space; excluded earth-to-space weapons
4.PAROS — (d) Ongoing UN Conference on Disarmament discussion; no binding treaty produced
Which of the following matchings is correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Artemis Accords:
1.They are a legally binding international treaty administered by the United Nations.
2.They were initiated by NASA and the US State Department.
3.India is a signatory to the Artemis Accords.
4.The Accords explicitly prohibit the deployment of weapons in outer space by signatory countries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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