---
title: "Experts: This Is What Actual Space Battles Will Be Like"
description: "If a war were waged in space, it wouldn't look anything like Star Wars or Star Trek, reserachers argue. Any conflict would need to be planned in advance."
date: "2020-10-16"
modified: "2020-10-16"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-actual-space-battles"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "military technology"
  - "space"
  - "space war"
  - "the digest"
---

# Experts: This Is What Actual Space Battles Will Be Like

![If a war were waged in space, it wouldn't look anything like Star Wars or Star Trek, reserachers argue. Any conflict would need to be planned in advance.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/space-battles-slow-deliberate.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Image via NeedPix/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Orbital Dogfights

As countries around the world continue to [militarize space](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-military-space-station-outpost>), experts are beginning to envision what an actual off-world clash might look like.

Unfortunately, dogfights among spacecraft zipping around like in Star Wars are out, *[Ars Technica ](<https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/this-is-what-war-in-space-probably-would-look-like-in-the-near-future/>)*[reports](<https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/this-is-what-war-in-space-probably-would-look-like-in-the-near-future/>). Rather, according to a [new report](<https://aerospace.org/paper/physics-space-war-how-orbital-dynamics-constrain-space-space-engagements>) published by the Aerospace Corporation, space battle is likely to be way slower, more deliberate, and even a little clunky.

## Stay The Course

The challenge, the report says, is that space operations need to be planned well in advance. And once a satellite is in orbit, it can't just change direction or careen around like a fighter plane. That makes the likelihood of a spontaneous skirmish in space much less likely than on Earth.

"Any conflict in space will be much slower and more deliberate than a Star Wars scene," report author and Aerospace Corp project engineer Rebecca Reesman told *Ars*. "It requires a lot more long-term thinking and strategic placement of assets."

## Incoming!

The most likely form of space combat? Steering a satellite into an enemy satellite's orbit and crashing them into each other, *Ars* reports.

But even then, there's a strong incentive to just leave well enough alone: Any satellites destroyed in orbit would release a shower of [dangerous space debris](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-predict-sizeable-chance-epic-space-junk-collision-tonight>) that just make things more dangerous for everyone.

**READ MORE:** [This is what “war in space” probably would look like in the near future](<https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/this-is-what-war-in-space-probably-would-look-like-in-the-near-future/>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

**More on space combat:** *[The Pentagon Is Quietly Working on a Military Space Station Outpost](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-military-space-station-outpost>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)