According to Jim Lovell (in the book “Apollo 13”), there was a treaty signed in the late 1960’s to keep outer space peaceful for scientific study, only. Yet, if this is so…how could Reagan have even proposed a Star Wars-type defense program…of which is still whispered about still today? I WAG there was some stipulation about a definition as to where Earth’s domain ends and outer space begins?
Is this treaty still on the books, or was it (perhaps) more of a gentleman’s agreement? …is there something similar regarding Antarctica, for example, too?
But, of course, the treaty doesn’t say anything about not planning to weaponize space.
And it’s not like the Soviets were good peacenik space hippies during the Cold War. One of the “Salyut” stations had an anti-aircraft cannon installed onboard, which was tested in space. In '87, they actually tried to launch their own “Star Wars” satellite, “Polyus,” for testing (it failed to reach orbit).
They even had a few plans for orbiting nuclear weapons platforms.
Heck, there’s at least one gun in space at any given moment…carried in the survival kit onboard the Space Station’s “lifeboat” Soyuz.