France to develop anti-satellite laser weapons, bolster space defenses: Minister
France plans to develop anti-satellite laser weapons but will only deploy them in self-defense, its defense minister has said.
“If our satellites are threatened, we intend to blind those of our adversaries,” Florence Parly said during a speech in the city of Lyon on Thursday.
“We reserve the right and the means to be able to respond: that could imply the use of powerful lasers deployed from our satellites or from patrolling nano-satellites,” she added.
Around 2,000 active satellites are currently estimated to be orbiting the Earth, mostly to relay commercial communications, but also to track the weather and for spying.
Experts say the United States, Russia and China are capable of destroying enemy satellites using missiles fired from Earth, and probably also by engineering deliberate collisions.
In March this year, India also destroyed a satellite with a missile, which created hundreds of new pieces of space junk which pose a threat to operating satellites and spacecraft.
“We will develop powerful lasers,” Parly said. “It’s an area in which France has fallen behind. But we will catch up.”
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 13 his intention of creating a French space force command.
Source: (AFP)
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