The US is reportedly developing offensive weapons to disable Chinese military satellites amid escalating rivalry in space. Analysts note a lack of reliable communication channels between the US and China to manage risks in the increasingly crowded orbital environment.

The US is preparing offensive weapons to blind China’s military satellites in any future conflict, even as the two sides lack reliable channels to manage risks in an increasingly crowded orbit, defence analysts said on Tuesday. Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a former US deputy under secretary of defence for intelligence, said that Washington was openly debating how to “hold at risk” the satellites that...