Vulerable sattelites chart. Chinese ASAT.

[M4ko]

http://www.centurychina.com/plaboard/uploads/Vunerable_satellites.jpg

[Mountain Man]

interesting

[Midav]

Weapons are getting more advanced. Cat and mouse continues ;)

New Stealth Spy Satellite Debated on Hill (http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/041211-misty.htm)

[Zoomie]

Weapons are getting more advanced. Cat and mouse continues ;)

New Stealth Spy Satellite Debated on Hill (http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/041211-misty.htm)

LOL, just over 2 years ago.

[iGrooCk]

hmmm intresting...russia doesnt have any communication eh..

[Galileo]

hmmm intresting...russia doesnt have any communication eh..

It s only a chart about LOW orbit sat, most other sat and almost all comsat are highter (up to 35 800km).

[quellish]

It s only a chart about LOW orbit sat, most other sat and almost all comsat are highter (up to 35 800km).

This is correct, most of the "critical" systems are not at risk to the Chinese direct ascent system. GPS, for example, is just too dense and too redundant - and the Chinese depend on it for their own weapons!
SDS, COMINT, and other assets are either too high or in orbits too eccentric for the Chinese system to hit.

They can attempt to hit US imaging intelligence satellites, but as the cited article on "MISTY" highlights, the US has capabilties already fielded that makes this potentially futile. The first *known* low observable imaging satellite was launched in 1989, and it is likely that some precursor systems were fielded earlier. There is a long, long history of US investment in this capability. If someone is really interested I could probably dig up some interesting US patents from the 1970s that indicate there was a classified test activity from the late 1960s onwards.

Either way, targeting a US imaging satellite does not win China much in a conflict. A Radar Ocean Recon satellite is a more tempting target, but the reality is that the US is much less dependant on these in the 21st century. A direct ascent ASAT system does not threaten a GlobalHawk, after all.


The reality is that during a conflict, SKYNEWS is a much more tempting target for China. Cutting off all of the illicit satellite TV dishes in their own country would serve their interests.

[angry cow]

So does this mean that corporations might have a legitimate excuse to develop ASAT countermeasures?

[Fakum12]

As far as I know, the chinese had to relocate the target satellite in the final approach phase, otherwise the ASAT missile would have missed...
A rather interessting detail, I think.

[Makita]

Fakum12, Any source on that adjustment?

[KalleBalleSvartSk@lle]

The question is who would suffer most from loosing their satelites, I guess the Chinese belives the US/ the rest of the world would.
Well just my thoughts, I'm no expert on space warfare ;).

[Fakum12]

Fakum12, Any source on that adjustment?

My original source is unaviable (because the article was moved to a paid section of the site which I have no access to), but here (http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn10990-china-dismisses-space-arms-race-fears.html) is another article. The last sentence says: "The satellite's orbit was raised just before the test, which may have alerted observers to an impending test."
I the article I read it was a bit more detailed. They quoted a scientist which said that this change in orbit was done in the same way like when an object in space prepares to rendvouz which another one. A slight change in the flight path.
His conclusion was that they are not able to hit a small object on a given path (which is the tricky part) so they had to alter the path of the object....

[Lamer]

GPS satelites coud be a nice target- no more JDAM (the GPS guided one) and a lot of navigation would be busted (there are old backup systems but in a time of war this could be quite a hassle for USA)

[ShanghaiExpress]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16707330/page/2/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16707330/page/2/)

"U.S. tracking systems have provided additional information about the trajectories of the spacecraft during the test, and of the orbital debris that resulted from the test, Oberg said.

More thorough analysis no longer suggests that the target satellite might have maneuvered before the attack in order to line up with the interceptor," he said in an e-mail. "All indications now are that the missile was launched toward the north and closed in from ahead and slightly to the side of the target's path."

Also keep in mind this is not an operational weapons system. It's more of a technology demonstrator.

[plato]

I posted this question at another thread, but no one answered it. So, I am posting it again: Can US or Russia attack a satellite at 12,600 miles altitude?

[Fakum12]

Every nation that can put a satellite in orbit can shoot another one down with the method that the chinese used.

[plato]

Every nation that can put a satellite in orbit can shoot another one down with the method that the chinese used.
What method did they use?

[Fakum12]

They launched a (ballistic) missile which made a rather hard rendevous with the target. Almost the same procedure like when a freighter makes a flight to the ISS. Only that the freighter slows down before meeting with the ISS...

[sferrin]

Here's a site with some VERY interesting information. Check out towards the bottom the video "Download HD Video of Chinese ASAT Test"


http://celestrak.com/events/asat.asp

I imagine if the space station gets tagged with debris from the ASAT test someone might get a bit pissed (although not in a war-starting way I'd think)

[plato]

Here's a site with some VERY interesting information. Check out towards the bottom the video "Download HD Video of Chinese ASAT Test"


http://celestrak.com/events/asat.asp

I imagine if the space station gets tagged with debris from the ASAT test someone might get a bit pissed (although not in a war-starting way I'd think)

Cool find! So, what if debris hit the space station or any other object? Are there any laws regarding this?

[angry cow]

Why would the Chinese take out GPS? What system will their precision weapons use to hit their targets?

(They use GPS just like we do)

[Satellite Weapon]

Why would the Chinese take out GPS? What system will their precision weapons use to hit their targets?

(They use GPS just like we do)

There are 2 alternate systems to GPS, the Russian Glonass and the galileo being built by the Euros.
Washington would attack EU satellites during a chinese standoff ?
http://uplink.space.com/printthread.php?Cat=&Board=businesstech&main=74111&type=thread

[Basillicus]

Why would the Chinese take out GPS? What system will their precision weapons use to hit their targets?

(They use GPS just like we do)

I think US armed forces are much more reliant on precision weapons and therefore GPS than Chinese. So shutting it down would certainly benefit them. But shooting "down" GPS satellites is still impossible; they are over 20000 km away, and this missile can't reach even 1000km.

[JoaMei]

I posted this question at another thread, but no one answered it. So, I am posting it again: Can US or Russia attack a satellite at 12,600 miles altitude?

You can answer the Question yourself:

On any orbit you can bring a satellite, you can bring a kill vehicle too. There is no safe orbit.