Space Weapons, page-2

Anti-satellite weapons raise threat of war in space

• Deborah Haynes
• The Times
• August 12, 2015 9:26AM

Space may be the new setting for international warfare. Source: Supplied
The potential for war in space is growing as major world powers develop technology to attack each other’s satellites — a move that could have a profound effect on life on Earth.
About 1,300 active satellites, state-owned and private, orbit the planet in an increasingly cluttered field, according to a report in Scientific American magazine.
They form the backbone of the world’s communications network, provide weather reports, help people to work out where they are travelling and — for militaries — provide a vital link to weapons systems.
Disabling one or more satellites would take out the many space-based pieces of equipment and technology on Earth in an act of aggression that could ignite a full-blown war within the Earth’s atmosphere as well, the publication said.
The United States, China and Russia are the dominant powers in space, with the USA the country with the most influence — a position that is under challenge from the other superpowers.
Satellites are incredibly vulnerable to attack. A spaceship could simply spray paint over the optics of a satellite, break its communications antennas or bump it off orbit. Lasers have been developed that can hit a satellite in space from the Earth. It is also possible to jam transmissions from the ground.
James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, has accused China and Russia of “developing capabilities to deny access in a conflict” to areas such as the South China Sea or over Ukraine.
Any attempt to take out a US military satellite could gravely damage the ability of the increasingly technology-dependent US armed forces to operate in a conflict.
China in particular has demonstrated “the need to interfere with, damage and destroy” US satellites, Mr Clapper said in testimony to Congress this year. He was referring to a series of Chinese anti-satellite missile tests that began in 2007, with the most recent believed to have taken place in July last year, according to Scientific American.
The situation is increasingly complicated because of the growing number of satellites in operation in both low and high-Earth orbit. In what was described as a wake-up call for the United States, China is thought to have launched a new round of anti-satellite weapons in July last year, Scientific American said.
No satellites were destroyed but that was because Beijing was “testing to miss rather than to hit”, experts told the publication. Chinese officials have insisted that the tests were for peaceful purposes and scientific experimentation.
The Times