The US Defense Intelligence Agency has indicated that terrorists would be able to launch strikes on American satellites by 2020.

In a presentation obtained by Danger Room from wired.com, Randy Jones, the associate technical director of the Defence Intelligence Agency's Missile & Space Intelligence Centre, warned that terror groups could use lasers, radio frequency jammers, and even nuclear weapons to knock out US satellites.

The report said that countries like China might launch anti-satellite (ASAT) ballistic missiles, or position weapons in orbit.

According to Jones, these states might be hesitant to start blasting American orbiters initially, but would probably be willing under appropriate conditions to attack.

Jones' presentation, titled Threats to Space Capabilities, was delivered earlier this month to the Space Security & Defense Conference.

In it, he observes that advanced countries already 'have the technical basis to develop' an ASAT arsenal, with the prominent example of China's 2007 satellite shoot-down.

He also noted that 'rogue nation/terrorist(s)' could use jammers to interfere with satellite transmission; which is true as Air Force cadets have demonstrated similar abilities, again and again.