Science & Tech · Space · 5 hrs ago
US Intelligence Says China Could Field Space Lasers by 2030
A US intelligence report says China could develop weapons for use in space by the end of the 2020s.
The weapons would use directed energy, such as lasers, and could disrupt or damage satellites.
China already has ground-based energy weapons, which the report says could become capable of affecting satellites beyond low Earth orbit.
But a space security expert doubts China will field space-based lasers that soon.
China has rejected the US warnings, while the United States is also preparing for military threats in orbit and has announced four directed-energy systems for a counter-drone pilot.
The issue matters because both countries rely on satellites and are preparing for conflict in space.
The report gives a possible timeline, but it does not say what China will do next.
A US Defence Intelligence Agency report says China could have directed-energy weapons in orbit by the end of the 2020s.
The report says China already has ground-based energy weapons that can disrupt, degrade or damage satellites.
Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation said she would be surprised if China fielded space-based laser weapons by the late 2020s.
China’s state-run Global Times accused Washington of exaggerating space threats while building up its own military presence in orbit.
The Pentagon has announced four directed-energy systems for a US homeland counter-drone pilot.
- Who
- The US Defence Intelligence Agency assessed China’s space-weapons development. China’s military and the US are central to the story.
- What
- A DIA report says China could field directed-energy weapons in orbit by the end of the 2020s.
- When
- The report was published on a Sunday; the article is dated October 31, 2026.
- Where
- The weapons could be used in outer space. The DIA report is titled Challenges to Security in Space.
- Why
- The weapons could be used for military operations in space and could disrupt, degrade or damage satellites.
US Defence Intelligence Agency
Victoria Samson
Timeline
US Defence Intelligence Agency
The DIA says China could develop the capability to use directed-energy weapons in orbit by the end of the 2020s.
Victoria Samson
Samson said she would be surprised if China fielded space-based laser weapons by the late 2020s.
Assessment
US Defence Intelligence Agency
The DIA describes China’s space-based weapons as a new disruptive capability.
Victoria Samson
Samson’s comment expresses doubt about China fielding the weapons on that timeline.
PLA media said laser weapons were entering a golden age and cited temporarily blinding sensors as one possible use.
US Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting spoke about the need for survivability in national security space architecture at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium.
The Pentagon announced four directed-energy systems for a homeland counter-drone pilot.
The Global Times published a report criticizing US claims about Chinese and Russian space threats.
The DIA published its report, Challenges to Security in Space.
- DIA report
- Challenges to Security in Space
- Potential capability timeline
- By the end of the 2020s
- Chinese ground-based weapons
- Can disrupt, degrade or damage satellites
- Pentagon pilot
- Four directed-energy systems
- Systems named
- AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser; Epirus’ Leonidas; Kord’s Firefly; Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System
What people are saying
I would be very surprised if China fielded space-based laser weapons by the late 2020s
Like Don Quixote tilting at windmills he mistook for menacing giants, Washington appears to be sounding the alarm over alleged threats in outer space, even as it presses ahead with its own military buildup in orbit
In space, there is no safe harbor. You can’t dig a trench or build a shield
The US will be far more dependent on space than the PLA