France is working on a new space laser to blind rogue satellites
The French military plans to deploy laser pointers in orbit to counter espionage efforts.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly presents the government's new plan Thursday.
While President Trump's proposed US Space Force is held up on Capitol Hill, France's military has its own plans to deploy weapons in space.
French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly on Thursday laid out the country's new space defense strategy, which includes deploying satellites with the means of disabling other satellites that pose a threat.
"If our satellites are threatened, we intend to blind those of our adversaries," Parly said, according to AFP. "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."
Last year, France accused Russia of flying one of its satellites a little too close to a French bird to spy on secure military communications.
Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Cattaneo explained that using lasers as a means of defense is preferable to destroying aggressor satellites and creating countless new pieces of hazardous debris in orbit.
Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a new space command within the country's Air Force, an approach the White House is also working to implement in the US.