is this a wink at “Spaceballs” or just a poor choice of adjectives? https://www.foxnews.com/tech/us-military-wants-300m-to-start-testing-satellite-mounted-lasers-and-particle-beams.ampUS military wants $300M to start testing satellite-mounted lasers and ‘particle beams’
It might turn out to be an effective sort of anti-missile defense. I believe that one of the difficulties with lasers and (especially) particle beams is their propagation through the atmosphere. In space that particular difficulty wouldn't exist. Orbital battle stations might be able to intercept ballistic missiles from places like North Korea and Iran as they exit the atmosphere and are still comparatively vulnerable. If Iran goes ahead with its nuclear and missile programs (as is almost 100% certain) and President Trump's negotiation with Kim Jong Un go nowhere (which is very likely), then we are going to need a plan-B short of a preemptive attack that might trigger a small nuclear war that results in millions of dead.
