US military says it has launched weapons into space
US military says it has launched weapons into space
美国军方称已向太空部署武器
The U.S. military has for the first time acknowledged that it deployed space weapons into Earth’s orbit. U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who oversees the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, said in a speech Monday that the military has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.”
美国军方首次承认已向地球轨道部署了太空武器。负责监管美国空军和美国太空军的美国空军部长特洛伊·梅因克（Troy Meink）周一在演讲中表示，军方拥有“能够保护联合部队免受敌对行动影响的在轨空间控制武器”。
Meink did not say what the weapons are, what they do, or how many of them have been deployed, but his phrasing was reportedly intentional and “very well thought out.” When reached about the disclosure, an Air Force spokesperson told TechCrunch that the weapons are designed to defend the U.S. military “against space-enabled attack.”
梅因克并未透露这些武器的具体类型、功能或部署数量，但据报道，他的措辞是经过深思熟虑的。在就此披露信息进行询问时，一位空军发言人告诉 TechCrunch，这些武器旨在保护美军“免受基于太空的攻击”。
Asked about the threats that the Air Force was responding to by launching the weapon, the spokesperson said that the U.S. had been warning about Russian and Chinese weapons testing in space since 2007. “Due to their actions, it is no longer a question that space is a warfighting domain. Space control is part of how the Joint Force protects national security interests,” the spokesperson said.
当被问及空军部署这些武器是为了应对何种威胁时，该发言人表示，自2007年以来，美国一直对俄罗斯和中国的太空武器测试发出警告。发言人称：“由于他们的行动，太空已毫无疑问成为一个作战领域。空间控制是联合部队保护国家安全利益的方式之一。”
“The space domain is contested, and we must be able to secure our nation’s interests in space — that is why the Space Force was established as the 6th military service.” “Open communication strengthens deterrence, prevents adversary miscalculation, and normalizes space operations alongside the other services,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“太空领域正处于竞争之中，我们必须有能力保障国家在太空的利益——这就是为什么太空军被设立为第六个军种的原因。”该发言人告诉 TechCrunch，“公开沟通可以加强威慑，防止对手误判，并使太空行动与其他军种的行动实现常态化。”
The deployment comes as China is long known to have operated spacecraft capable of causing damage to other satellites. The U.S. Space Force says Russia is currently developing a satellite “designed to carry a nuclear weapon.” According to The Times, the U.S. had long disavowed the destruction of satellites in space, as attacks can leave debris that is harmful to other space objects and astronauts.
此次部署正值中国长期以来被认为拥有能够对其他卫星造成损害的航天器之际。美国太空军称，俄罗斯目前正在开发一种“旨在携带核武器”的卫星。据《泰晤士报》报道，美国长期以来一直否认在太空摧毁卫星的做法，因为此类攻击产生的碎片会对其他太空物体和宇航员造成危害。