China’s 2007 test, the USA-193 shoot-down, colliding satellites and laser sites: the case for rules in orbit, and the weapons that make it urgent.
I noticed this blurb on SEESAT today: I’ve been hearing murmurings around the community here in Washington that there may have been an extremely energetic event (satellite break-up?) in the last week or so in the LEO altitude range (700-1000…
This is a slide from an August 2005 presentation by Colonel Rick Patenaude, chief of the deterrence and strike division within Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), entitled, Prompt Global Strike Update. I’ve posted the slide, becuase Patenaude reveals something very…
That’s what Ambassador James Jeffrey’s called the decision to use an an Aegis SM-3 to try to shoot down USA 193 in the next 3-12 days. (Transcript should be posted here ; video at the Pentagon Channel.) Holding the aside…
Greetings from the Atlanta Airport — I am off to the Republic of Korea this week. Before I go, I wanted to share another great talk I heard from the meeting George Lewis hosted at Cornell. Yousaf Butt, now at…
Click on the image for a larger version Just how much warning do you need? If a strange satellite came within 10 km of your satellite every month, would you start to worry? Apparently not, not that is, if you…
Many have tried to define a space weapon, myself included. None of us have come up with a satisfactory definition, which is one on many reasons why a treaty banning space weapons is not in the cards. After the Bush…
The Stimson Center will release an edited volume in September comparing and contrasting deterrence against nuclear and space warfare. Here’s a preview. Nuclear deterrence and space deterrence have common elements as well as distinct differences. No difference is more striking…
What are the implications of the spread of hit-to-kill? What are the differences between ground based missile defense interceptors and anti-satellite weapons? Why is China continuing to develop ground based anti-satellite weapons? Why did the US feel the need to…
Catherine here. For the past year, Jeffrey and I have been looking at China’s Korla Missile Test Complex in Xinjiang, which is where we believe China conducts test launches of its hit-to-kill interceptor. Jeffrey put up a brief post about…
In mid-April, Russia tested a direct ascent anti-satellite missile (DA ASAT), the Nudol/PL19, against a point in space. Anti-satellite weapons are an old favorite of the pod, so Anne, Aaron, and Jeffrey meet to discuss the history of anti-satellite weapons,…
The U.S. has unilaterally committed to not conducting destructive anti-satellite missile tests! Jeffrey and Aaron walk through what the U.S. has actually normatively committed to, what this means for potential future attempts at arms control in space, and some of…
For the past 18 months, Jeffrey and I have been conducting research into a Chinese military site near Bosten Lake, more commonly called Bohu, where the PLA Strategic Support force is developing laser capabilities. In the process, we’ve discovered a…
Note, this is the second of 2 posts on this subject. You can find part 1 here. Introduction In part 1, we presented new research regarding the Bohu laser facility. That research focused on the history and organisation of the…
