US confirms weapons in Earth orbit
US confirms for first time it has deployed weapons in space
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Warm-up
- What kinds of satellites does your country rely on most?
- Should space be a military zone or a neutral zone? Why?
- How could a space conflict affect everyday life on Earth?
Vocabulary
- deploy
- to position and make military resources ready for use
- orbit
- the path an object follows as it circles a planet
- kinetic
- relating to physical force or impact, such as a projectile
- adversary
- a state or person you are in conflict with
- demilitarisation
- removing military forces or weapons from an area
- treaty
- a formal agreement made between countries under international law
- debris
- broken pieces left after something is damaged or destroyed
- escalate
- to increase the intensity or seriousness of a situation
Reading
The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. The US secretary of the air force, Troy Meink, said the country has active "on-orbit" space-control weapons, without giving specifics. A US Space Force spokesperson said space control can involve kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect an adversary's capabilities, used for offensive or defensive purposes.
Beijing accused Washington of preparing for war in outer space and warned against turning orbit into a battlefield. Moscow's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, called for the complete demilitarisation of space, saying it should be free of any weapon.
It has long been suspected that the US, Russia and China were developing space weapons such as jamming devices or systems that fire projectiles. Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation said no US official had stated this so openly before.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans weapons of mass destruction in orbit but not conventional arms. After a 2021 Russian anti-satellite test created thousands of pieces of debris, experts warned that further confrontation could escalate risks for all satellites.
Comprehension
- What new fact did the United States confirm?
- Who made the announcement, and what did he say was on orbit?
- How did the Space Force describe possible means of space control?
- How did China and Russia respond to the US statement?
- What does the 1967 Outer Space Treaty ban in orbit?
Grammar focus
Ellipsis and substitution
Ellipsis leaves out words the reader can recover: "Anna left, and Ben did too." Substitution replaces them with a short form: do so, do the same, so (I think so) or not (I hope not). Mind the word order: "Ben did so", but "so did Ben". (Examples constructed.)
- Satellites face new risks, and so do astronauts.
- Russia ran an anti-satellite test in 2021; others could do the same.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- China reacted to the news, and (did so / so did) Russia.
- No US official had spoken openly until Meink (did so / so did).
- Will risks to satellites grow? Many experts think (it / so).
- States that deploy weapons should say when they (do so / so do).
- Will debris hit more satellites? Let's hope (no / not).
Discussion
- Will this move escalate an arms race in orbit? Why or why not?
- Should the Outer Space Treaty be updated now? What would you change?
- Which risk worries you more: jamming or orbital debris? Why?
- How transparent should governments be about space weapons?
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