As the Earth's orbit was getting cluttered with both civilian and military machines, space technologies were getting cheaper and more mundane with every launch. After international tensions increased in the mid-20th century, first Orbital Cannons appeared - huge satellites with laser guns, designed to bombard the surface from above. While highly specialized and therefore almost defenseless against Defcon Sats and other robotic predators, Orbital Cannons became an important - if expensive - addition to the strategy of several countries, particularly China and Britain.