But what is this technology and how could it enable a war?
In a recent first for space technology, Russia has launched a commercial satellite specificallydesigned to rendezvouswith other satellites.
The purpose of this vehicle is peaceful: it will perform maintenance tasks on other satellites in orbit.
The fact that commercial companies have this capability probably means that it already exists for global military powers.
This has caught the attention of NATO.
Another development is Frances recent announcement that it will build bodyguard satellites armed witheither machine guns or lasers.
This follows an announcement that the USwill launch a space forcein 2018.
Many other nations may soon follow suit.
Electronic warfare
But how would sabotage and warfare happen exactly?
One method involves firing an intense beam of microwave radiation at an object.
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You could potentially make such an attack look like an accident and deny involvement.
The use of radio jamming to disrupt radar and communicationsdate backto World War II.
This is a little like trying to spot the light from a candle against the glare of car headlights.
Satellites are thoroughly tested for self-generated radio noise before going into space.
A US Air Force Delta II booster with a GPS satellite.
U.S. Air Force photo
Space-basedelectronic warfareis likely to become an increasing concern for military planners.
In fact, many military services on Earth now depend on space technology to work.
Moving satellites have very high kinetic energy and momentum.
This key in of removal consists of a ground-launched missile aimed at the satellite.
This could look like an accident and actuallyaccidentally occurred in 2007.
The idea of kinetic weapons has been attempted before.
The Soviet space station Salyut-3, for example,was armedwith a rapid-fire cannon in the mid-1970s.
With no power, the satellite will be unable to communicate with the ground station and is essentially lost.
The most likely satellites to be targeted would be those dedicated to communication or observing.
But what would a space war look like from Earth?
Nuclear weapons?
But not all nuclear-armed nations have ratified the latter, including the US and North Korea.
A small number of nuclear tests in space were conducted in the 1960s includingStarfish Prime.
Operation Dominic Starfish Prime nuclear test from the plane.
These radiation belts also disabled half a dozen satellites in low Earth orbit.
