U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite

[ellacott]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/01/18/china.missile/index.html

U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite diplomatic protest

<snip>
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. (Watch why the U.S. has protested the missile strike Video)

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.

[RC]

1. Just what we need up there -

More deadly space junk in orbit.

[Tesha]

2. Damn! You mean we don't OWN space?

Did anyone *NOT* think this is exactly how WWIII would
go down? If you were the enemy, would you not want to
destroy all the fragile space resources our modern,
high-tech military absolutely depends upon?

These days, our generals couldn't find their way to
the bathroom without GPS guiding them. Destroy our
satellites and we'd be dead meat within 24 hours.

Tesha

[Lowell]

3. This is much smarter than our program

targeting missiles in flight. The Chinese can actually target the satellite systems that provide guidance to our missiles. Eliminate the GPS systems and we have pretty worthless missiles with no guidance system setting around. Pretty ungenious of the Chinese.

[teryang]

4. just what the aerospace lobby ordered

When the Bush regime repudiated the restrictions on placing weapons in space (I believe that was SALT I restriction) they opened themselves up for this. So much for full spectrum dominance. Interesting that the technology to make such an intercept possible was illegally exported to China some time ago by a major American aeroapace contractor, in which the Bush family is reported to be a major shareholder.

[ellacott]

5. I never knew that

<Interesting that the technology to make such an intercept possible was illegally exported to China some time ago by a major American aeroapace contractor, in which the Bush family is reported to be a major shareholder.>

[teryang]

6. Much of this is public record documented in the Cox Report...

The Cox Report documents the disgraceful lengths that military contractors will go to to make a buck at the expense of the national security of the United States. As to the Bush stock holdings, I recall reading this in a secondary source, which I cannot now find. The matter of stock holdings by power elite families is subject to great opacity and difficult to document although generally it is well understood by historians and political scientists that the Bush family is primarily interested in the arms and defense contracting business.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/01/01/MN153988.DTL

The Justice Department spent years on a criminal investigation of the companies and a third one involved in similar activity in China, Loral Space & Communications. But several months ago, federal prosecutors informed the firms that they would not file any criminal charges.

Last January, Loral laid to rest the allegations against it by agreeing with the State Department to pay a $14 million fine and to spend $6 million on internal reforms dedicated to stopping overseas technology transfer.

The charging document said Hughes and Boeing had committed 123 violations of the Arms Export Control Act or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

"The department has had several rounds of discussion with Hughes and Boeing to explore a resolution similar to the one with Loral," said State Department spokesman Jay Greer. "We can note that unlike Loral, Hughes and Boeing have both failed to recognize the seriousness of the violations and have been unprepared to take steps to resolve the matter, or to ensure no recurrence of violations in the future."



http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/resources/1999/cox.report/overview/pg3.html


Hughes had important commercial interests in the PRC at the time it engaged in the failure investigations. These interests included future sales of satellites to the PRC or to parties serving the PRC market, and reducing the cost and improving the safety of launching satellites in the PRC.

ii. In 1996, Loral and Hughes showed the PRC how to improve the design and reliability of the guidance system used in the PRCÌs newest Long March rocket.

LoralÌs and HughesÌ advice may also be useful for design and improved reliability of elements of future PRC ballistic missiles.

Loral and Hughes acted without the legally required license, although both corporations knew that a license was required.

...

The information and assistance conveyed by Loral and Hughes led to improvements to the guidance system of the PRCÌs Long March 3B rocket. While the launch that failed was commercial, the information transmitted by Loral and Hughes was useful, as well, for military space launch purposes.

...

Neither Loral nor Hughes disclosed to export control officers of the U.S. Government their unlicensed activities until after they were contacted by U.S. Government licensing officials demanding an explanation for their conduct. The U.S. Government officials became aware of the improper activities through an article in a widely-read industry publication. This article also came to LoralÌs attention prior to LoralÌs disclosure to the U.S. Government.



See the chapters PRC Missile and Space Forces, Satellite Launches in the PRC: Hughes, and Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral for more detailed discussion of the Select CommitteeÌs investigation of these matters.

[bigtree]

7. this is the result of our failure to pursue a space treaty

prohibiting space based weapons

[The2ndWheel]

9. If it's possible to make and use space based weapons

they will be made and used, treaty or no treaty.

[bigtree]

10. I think the issue now is whether we will oppose or contribute

to the coming arms race in space

[The2ndWheel]

11. Both, as usual

We'll want them, and not want anyone else to have them. Since we spend/invest hundreds of billions of dollars(that we know of) into the military every year, and have agencies such as the Pentagon, DARPA, and who knows what else, they have to do something with the money and time.

[Moby Grape]

8. the Miners-found-alive Network speaks

I believe everything I'm told.

yeah right