Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic or tactical purposes.
US tested 1st ASAT missile 60 years ago
Only the United States, Russia, China, and India have demonstrated this capability successfully. The development and design of anti-satellite weapons have followed several paths.
Most of the military satellites orbit up to 2,000 km above the earth’s surface on LEO Low Earth Orbit.
ASAT roles:
Defensive measures against an adversary’s space-based and nuclear weapons
Force multiplier for a nuclear first strike
Countermeasure against an adversary’s anti-ballistic missile defense (ABM)
Asymmetric counter to a technologically superior adversary
Counter-value weapon