Re: Chinese Shoot Down Satellite
- From: Christopher <auem28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:00:35 GMT
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:39:16 +0000 (GMT), Demosthenes
<nobody@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite
Story Highlights
? Chinese use a missile to ram and destroy an old, orbiting
satellite
? Experts: China now may have ability to knock out U.S. GPS and
spy satellites
? Washington issues formal diplomatic protest
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- China last week successfully used a missile
to destroy an orbiting satellite, U.S. government officials told
CNN on Thursday, in a test that could undermine relations with
the West and pose a threat to satellites important to the U.S.
military.
According to a spokesman for the National Security Council, the
ground-based, medium-range ballistic missile knocked an old
Chinese weather satellite from its orbit about 537 miles above
Earth. The missile carried a "kill vehicle" and destroyed the
satellite by ramming it.
The test took place on January 11.
Aviation Week and Space Technology first reported the test:
"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 (anti-satellite) system launched
from or near the Xichang Space Center."
A U.S. official, who would not agree to be identified, said the
event was the first successful test of the missile after three
failures.
The official said that U.S. "space tracking sensors" confirmed
that the satellite is no longer in orbit and that the collision
produced "hundreds of pieces of debris," that also are being
tracked.
The United States logged a formal diplomatic protest.
"We are aware of it and we are concerned, and we made it known,"
said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
Several U.S. allies, including Canada and Australia, also have
registered protests.
Under a space policy authorized by President Bush in August, the
United States asserts a right to "freedom of action in space"
and says it will "deter others from either impeding those rights
or developing capabilities intended to do so."
The policy includes the right to "deny, if necessary,
adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S.
national interests."
Low Earth-orbit satellites have become indispensable for U.S.
military communications, GPS navigation for smart bombs and
troops, and for real-time surveillance. The Chinese test
highlights the satellites' vulnerability.
"If we, for instance, got into a conflict over Taiwan, one of
the first things they'd probably do would be to shoot down all
of our lower Earth-orbit spy satellites, putting out our eyes,"
said John Pike of globalsecurity.org, a Web site that compiles
information on worldwide security issues.
"The thing that is surprising and disturbing is that [the
Chinese] have chosen this moment to demonstrate a military
capability that can only be aimed at the United States," he said.
Translation: The US DoD has been planning to have sole US military
access to space to the exclusion of all other nations it doen't like,
and when China shows its not going to be pushed around the US DoD
cries foul.
.
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