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Looks like worrisome news from above.
There’s a growing number of sources suggesting that China has tested an anti-satellite (ASAT) device, knocking out one of its own satellites - an old weather spacecraft. The test reportedly made use of a ballistic missile to reach the satellite, using some sort of kinetic kill device to destroy the spacecraft.
Leading the charge in reporting this January 11th event is Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, which will detail China’s possible ASAT test in its magazine next week.
Citing military and intelligence sources, AW&ST will report that the possible test took out Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C), polar orbiting weather satellite launched in 1999.
Indeed, SPACE.com sources have confirmed that that FY-1C has broken up into hundreds and hundreds of pieces, fluttering through low Earth orbit. The mess of space junk does put other satellites, including the International Space Station at some risk - although chances of this are very small.
Clearly, such a provocative act — if confirmed — will spark U.S. reaction as outlined in a newly issued Bush space policy.
Check out:
http://www.space.com/news/061007_bush_spacepolicy.html
Meanwhile, space policy wonk, Jeffrey Lewis of the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland has responded to the prospective ASAT test in his online blog:
“The United States and other space-faring states should demarche the Chinese government for what is a stupid, clumsy and short-sighted decision,” Lewis wrote.
“Although this idiotic move by the Chinese government will demonstrate why we don’t want hit-to-kill ASAT testing in orbit - that will be a long-term recognition. In the short-term, the Chinese will simply not be credible partners in efforts to keep space peaceful. Moreover, other countries could follow suit with their own anti-satellite programs, including the United States.”
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January 18th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
WOW! how do we know they didn’t test it on our last shuttle that broke up into hundreds and hundreds of pieces?
January 19th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Time.com posted a piece about the ASAT test and how the “Chinese” aren’t exactly monolithic. That said, the gravity of this test (pun intended) really ought to bring about an explanation from the government of China. But one success out of four does not to me indicate the existence of a fearsome new capability.
January 21st, 2007 at 9:53 am
Back in Oct. 1957, America was scared from a new “Red Moon” in orbit. The fear was that the Soviets could at any time, drop a bomb on any America city. That satellite, Sputnik, drove us into studying the sciences, creating NASA, and pushed us into the space race to the moon. The problem with the fear was that the Soviets back then, were very far from being able to drop any bombs on us with any accuracy.
Now China has given us a new demonstration of an actual and lethally accurate threat. But I don’t believe that America has waken up to this concept yet. So take a moment to consider some of the implications of this:
- A large hurricane is found to be bearing down towards a heavily populated region in the country. As folks are awaiting the latest tracking updates, suddenly there is no communication from the weather satellite.
- Our technically trained and dependent troops are on the battlefield in the midst of action, when their GPS and computer links go dead.
- A nation, jealous of our most prized satellites such as the Hubble ST or the ISS, does not want to hear of another wonderous discovery, and so its kill satellite “accidentelly” malfunctions…
- After many rounds of target practicing, a deadly zone of high speed debris of shrapnel exists in orbit, that puts any astronaut’s life at risk if they try to fly through the zone.
We have a U.N. Space treaty that prohibts putting any weapons in space. What is the penalities for violating this treaty? And when does the folks of the technically dependent U.S. begin to realize that a satellite is more than just a piece of robotic hardware in orbit?