Chinese Test ASAT Weapon

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Subject: Chinese Test ASAT Weapon
Softwar 1/18/2007 1:11:43 PM

"http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_space_story.jsp?id=news/CHI01177.xml" Chinese Test Anti-Satellite Weapon By Craig Covault, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Cape Canaveral Wednesday, January 17, 2007 U. S. intelligence agencies believe China performed a successful anti-satellite (asat) weapons test at more than 500 mi. altitude Jan. 11 destroying an aging Chinese weather satellite target with a kinetic kill vehicle launched on board a ballistic missile. The Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA and other government organizations have a full court press underway to obtain data on the alleged test, Aviation Week & Space Technology will report in its Jan. 22 issue. If the test is verified it will signify a major new Chinese military capability. Details emerging from space sources indicate that the Chinese Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C) polar orbit weather satellite launched in 1999 was attacked by an asat system launched from or near the Xichang Space Center. Details emerging from space sources indicate that the Chinese Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C) polar orbit weather satellite launched in 1999 was attacked by an asat system launched from or near the Xichang Space Center.

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Jeff_F_F 1/19/2007 1:52:01 AM

Just one more reason we need to be able to take out ballistic missiles.

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mongoose My question of 12DEC02 1/19/2007 12:35:07 PM

This is a question that I submitted 12DEC02:

Subject: Is the ISS vulnerable to attack?
mongoose 12/15/2002 9:21:29 PM

We all know that security at the Shuttle Launch site has been increased. What is being done to protect the ISS from a possible shoot down?

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Softwar Russia & USA 1/19/2007 5:27:54 PM

I suspect Russia would react - perhaps violently - if they lost a couple of cosmonauts with the ISS along with a US astronaut or two. Attacking the shuttle = strike against America. Attacking the ISS = strike against Russia and America. China is far too deep in with Moscow on arms sales to risk doing something foolish.

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Herald1234 Forget the other baloney. 1/19/2007 5:48:21 PM

Just putting the debris field in a deliberate ASAT exercise in a polar orbit at that altitude is a hostile act. China could have launched a target satellite in clear space and placed her debrisn field in a relatively harmless location. This was a clear act of hostile intent and a threat.

Herald

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HYPOCENTER Some analysis 1/19/2007 6:33:16 PM

... from another site:

China has destroyed a satellite, joining Russia and the United States as the only countries capable of both putting objects in space and blowing them up. Some angles:

Deterrence: First and foremost, this looks like a deterrent move aimed at the United States. The US military isn't completely dependent on spy satellites (in case of war, the Taiwan Straits would be overflown by enough spy and communications aircraft to make the satellites redundant), but destroying them is a way of chipping away at US capabilitiy, and thus indicating that China can inflict real costs in case of a US intervention in a militarized China-Taiwan dispute. The public way in which the Chinese have carried out this test, as well as earlier "blinding" tests, and the recent submarine-stalks-carrier debacle indicates to me that they're as serious as possible about showing the US their capabilities, which is key to a deterrent strategy. Also, Chinese anti-satellite capabilities don't have to be targetted against US military satellites; the Chinese may threaten commercial satellites as well, which would help to metastasize the costs of any US intervention.

Arms Control: The NYT article suggests that this may be an effort to prod the Bush administration towards a treaty banning anti-satellite weapons. These weapons are bad because they create enormous debris fields that make space dangerous for both satellites and manned vehicles for a long time. Good luck pushing the Bush administration towards arms control, but then again that administration will only be in power for two more years...

Warfighting: As I suggested above, part of any Chinese strategy in an actual conflict will be to reduce the digital and communications advantage of US military forces. Because of the existence of redundancy systems, destroying satellites will only go so far towards accomplishing that goal, but anything that disrupts the complex system that is network centric warfare will be good for the Chinese. We forget that even great powers can choose asymetrical strategies; the German U-boat campaign was clearly an effort to deny the sea to the Allies, even though the Germans couldn't control it themselves. Anti-satellite weapons are a way of denying space to the US.

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Softwar 1/20/2007 12:37:45 AM

While the debris may be considered an indirect threat to existing satellites or spacecraft - using a laser against a satellite is a direct, overt and intentional act of war. China started taking pot shots at US satellites in 2003 and 2004 - something the administration did not admit to until late 2006.

We also know that the PLA space program has tested micro or parasite satellites in what appears to be an effort to develop orbital ASAT mission capability. Frankly, it is time the US and western government recognize the PRC space program for what it is - a military operation intended to take OFFENSIVE action (e.g. Assassin’s Mace)

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Nanheyangrouchuan 1/20/2007 2:44:06 AM

Bush is too much of a coward to defend US interests against a real threat.

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DarthAmerica 1/20/2007 3:00:17 AM

Bush is too much of a coward to defend US interests against a real threat.

You only failed to notice the bulk of the US Military being centered on the Pacific Theater.

DA

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Herald1234 The deep game. 1/20/2007 9:56:02 AM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2556823,00.html

[quoting the article]

World News

The Times

January 20, 2007

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EW3 1/20/2007 10:19:04 AM

China ever tries this against one of our satellites, the flag will go up big time, and the site the missile was launched from will likely have a mushroom cloud formation overhead.

In a war between the Chinese and the US, the Chinese would come in 4th at best.

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