China in an early 2010 exercise attempted to intercept a mock enemy missile with the same weapon it had used to shoot down one of its orbiting satellites in a test three years earlier, suggesting the nation's antisatellite technology was also designed to defend against strategic missiles, the Washington Times reported yesterday.

The two nuclear superpowers both shot down their own satellites using sophisticated missiles in separate show of strength, the files suggest. The American Government was so incensed by Chinese actions in space that it privately warned Beijing it would face military action if it did not desist.

Spanish robotics engineers have devised a new weapon in the battle against zombie-sats and space junk: an automated robotics system that employs computer vision technology and algorithmic wizardry to allow unmanned space vehicles to autonomously chase down, capture, and even repair satellites in orbit.

An in-depth history of the "Soviet Star Wars" program, that in 1987 attempted to launch an orbiting battlestation with an anti-satellite, sky-sweeping laser weapon, and a space-to-earth kinetic warhead system, but failed during launch due to a small programming error.

The United States should begin to develop ways to attack foreign-operated satellites because nations such as China are pursuing weapons that can disable or destroy space-based systems, a consultant to the Council on Foreign Relations told a U.S. Congressional House panel.

President Barack Obama's pledge to seek a worldwide ban on weapons in space marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy while posing the tricky issue of defining whether a satellite can be a weapon.

China's demonstrated anti-satellite capability makes it critical for Washington to work with Beijing to avoid an arms race in space, according to a new report from the Council on Foreign Relations.

James Oberg discusses the recent decision to shoot down the US 193 spy satellite as an example of imprecise reporting on scientific topics.

The Pentagon is developing sensors to pinpoint a ground-based laser attempting to blind one of its spy satellites. The move will be interpreted as a further step towards the militarisation of space, say some experts.

The order by President Bush for the Navy to launch an antimissile interceptor to destroy a disabled satellite before it falls from orbit carries opportunity, but also potential embarrassment, for the administration and advocates of its missile defense program.