That short war was, arguably, the first between two nuclear-armed states to be shaped decisively by the use of satellites. Modern strikes run on satellites: satellite imagery to find targets, navigation to guide weapons and links to hold it together. Reliance on a great power patron is not peculiar to Pakistan – most countries start out developing their space programme this way. Nothing in the space domain resembles even the imperfect hotlines and arms-control treaties that disciplined the cold war rivalry between Washington and Moscow. For years, the debate about war in space has focused on the US, China and Russia.