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Knocking out another countries satellites is what would be done in a first strike nuclear attack according to modern military theorists. China has tested space
by an0f6a2bb51bb 6y ago
Knocking out another countries satellites is what would be done in a first strike nuclear attack according to modern military theorists.
China has tested space to space satellite weapons.
Russia has now tested space to space satellite weapons.
The US has not tested any space to space military assets and doesn't have this functionality as far as what is currently known. (The rumor mill also currently says the US has no such functionality and requires ground take off).
The reason this is important is that any response to a direct satellite attack would potentially take greater than 30 minutes using ground based weapons. (Again rumor mill).
- m4rtink 6y ago>The US has not tested any space to space military assets and doesn't have this functionality as far as what is currently known. (The rumor mill also currently says the US has no such functionality and requires ground take off). Um, most recently in 2008 the USA shot down it's own dead satellite by a ASAT missile fired from a ship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Burnt_Frost https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Burnt_Frost While the story goes that the satellite was dangerous due to frozen ball of hydrazine fuel on board (as it failed soon after launch and still had full fuel load) it was also a perfect chance to test the existing ASAT capability. Also in 2019 India tested their ASAT missile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Shakti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Shakti
- credit_guy 6y agoIf you can dock a spacecraft to the ISS, you have all the capability to space-to-space destroy a satellite and then some.