Space Warfare Is Almost Here And It’s Profoundly Stupid.

InnovationScienceSpace Warfare Is Almost Here And It’s Profoundly Stupid.ByAdam Frank,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Adam Frank is an astrophysicist exploring our place in the Cosmos.Follow AuthorMay 29, 2026, 08:00am EDTLaunch of Chinese Rocket(Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)VCG via Getty ImagesOne Giant Conflict For Mankind. That was the name of a panel discussion I participated in at HowThe LightGetsIn, an amazing science and arts festival in England. The topic was Space Warfare. Over the few years, it’s become clear that space is becoming yet another domain where humans play out their penchant for conflict. The panel description framed this situation and the questions it raises this way:The US first tested their ability to attack satellites in space back in 1985. Russia had already done the same thing, and now, in the last few years, China and India have joined them. Space technology can also have impact on Earth. Musk’s satellites have supported Ukraine in its war with Russia. Should we recognize that space exploration for the good of all is always a fantasy — after all, the Americans also planted their flag on the moon? Can international agreement help maintain peace, or will the strongest always play by their own rules? Or can and should we still see space as an exciting adventure that can bring profound benefits to humanity?Beyond RealismIn my response to these questions, I made it clear that I am a realist. I know human beings wage war. We have done so in every domain we’ve ever entered. This is simply history. Conceding that point, however, does not change the fact that waging war in space would be stupid in the most philosophically profound sense of that word. MORE FOR YOUThe reason I choose the word “stupid” to describe the situation we face can, itself, be summed up in two other words: Kessler Syndrome.Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is the region of space between 100 and 1200 miles above our head. From Commun...