War on Earth could spill over to the moon, Chinese space scientists warn
Chinese aerospace researchers have published a study warning that future conflicts on Earth could extend into cislunar space. The report suggests that spacecraft could use the moon's complex gravity to hide, intercept rivals, or control strategic orbital routes.
Why it matters
This highlights the increasing militarization of space and the strategic importance of the Earth-moon region in future geopolitical competition.
In a rare study, Chinese aerospace researchers have explored how a war could one day spill into the vast space between the Earth and the moon, with rival spacecraft chasing and evading each other, trying to slip past defences and even blocking strategic routes.
Spacecraft could hide in the complex gravitational environment around the moon, where their trajectories are difficult to predict, before emerging and moving towards targets closer to Earth when needed, according to a team from the Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian.
The craft could also be stationed near “choke points” – regions where important or fuel-efficient routes converge – ready to intercept rivals and potentially force them to break through or take less efficient routes, the researchers wrote in the Chinese-language Journal of Command and Control in July.
Such capabilities could have an impact without an actual confrontation, they argued.
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