Chinese satellite kill challenges U.S.

NF Reporter · 04-14-2007, 03:22 PM

AP - The Fengyun — "Wind and Cloud" — 1-C weather satellite was a proud worker in China's space program. Launched in May 1999, it provided a wealth of information that scientists used for forecasting floods, sandstorms and disturbances in space caused by solar activity.

Full Story...

waltky · 08-16-2007, 01:15 AM

Assessment of Chinese anti-satellite technology...

United States military sees China threat in satellites
Thursday, August 16, 2007 - China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt U.S. military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior U.S. military leader said Tuesday, citing a recent anti-satellite test and other advances.

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The warning came amid calls at a conference in Huntsville, Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure U.S. "space superiority" in the wake of China's shoot-down January 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile. "It is not inconceivable that within about three years we can be challenged at a near peer level in a region," said Lieutenant General Kevin Campbell, head of the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command.

"That means taking out a number of communications capabilities over a theater of war," he added in a speech to defense contractors. Campbell later told reporters that while a number of countries have some capabilities to interfere with satellite communications, China is the one he is most worried about. He said its anti-satellite test in January was a clear demonstration of its ability to destroy an orbiting satellite.

But China also is developing satellite jamming capabilities and has made advances in computer network attack skills that point to a comprehensive approach to denying the U.S. military access to space in a conflict, he said. "It starts to add up that they'll have multi-dimensional capabilities to attack various systems that are in orbit today," he said.

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waltky · 01-27-2008, 12:13 AM

Granny thinks the Chinese shot it down...

Bus-Sized Satellite Headed Towards Earth
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2008 - Officials Say U.S. Spy Satellite Will Re-enter The Atmosphere In About A Month

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A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday. The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, when asked about the situation after it was disclosed by other officials. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause." He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation. Such an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he said. Pike also said it's not likely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground.

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waltky · 01-28-2008, 10:38 PM

Still, Uncle Ferd wearin' his old construction hardhat just in case...

Maybe the Sky Is NOT Falling
January 28, 2008 - So there's an American spy satellite -- its actual mission, orbit and size not made public -- which has lost power and, like all other objects in low Earth orbit, is gradually losing altitude because of friction with the tenuous atmosphere that exists even hundreds of miles up.

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"Disabled Spy Satellite Threatens Earth," said many headlines, including our own. "Duck!" joked an e-mail to me on Saturday. We could fully understand if you wanted to duck, what with all the talk of hydrazine fuel and chunks of beryllium raining to Earth. Only, only....

It's not quite like that. Here's what we can say:

First of all, the chance of harm to human beings is very small, if only because 70 percent of the planet's surface is water, and most of the land is mountain, desert, farmland or frozen tundra. We earthlings crowd onto only a few percent of the space down here.

John Pike's GlobalSecurity.org suggests the satellite is labeled NROL-21, launched in December 2006 from Vandenberg Air Force Base (which would most likely put it in an orbit that takes it over both poles). Pike's group reports it's a radar imaging satellite with large solar panels and a dish antenna. If Pike is correct and it was launched by a Delta II rocket, it is not very massive, but sturdier parts could conceivably make it to the ground in an uncontrolled re-entry. The vast majority of satellites are completely vaporized as they re-enter the atmosphere.

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waltky · 01-30-2008, 02:42 AM

Heads up!...

Spy Satellite Could Hit US
Jan 30, 2008 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a large spy satellite expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March could hit North America.

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Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who heads of U.S. Northern Command, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the size of the satellite suggests that some number of pieces will not burn up as the orbiting vehicle re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and will hit the ground. "We're aware that this satellite is out there," Renuart said. "We're aware it is a fairly substantial size. And we know there is at least some percentage that it could land on ground as opposed to in the water."

A U.S. official confirmed that the spy satellite is designated by the military as US 193. It was launched in December 2006 but almost immediately lost power and cannot be controlled. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor but the satellite's central computer failed shortly after launch. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. Renuart added that, "As it looks like it might re-enter into the North American area," then the U.S. military along with the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will either have to deal with the impact or assist Canadian or Mexican authorities.

Military agencies, he said, are doing an analysis to determine which pieces most likely would survive re-entry. But he cautioned that officials won't have much detail on where or when it will crash until it begins to move through the atmosphere and break up. Renuart added that there does not as yet appear to be much concern about sensitive technologies on the satellite falling into enemy hands. "I'm not aware that we have a security issue," he said. "It's really just a big thing falling on the ground that we want to make sure we're prepared for."

The satellite includes some small engines that contain a toxic chemical called hydrazine - which is rocket fuel. But Renuart said they are not large booster engines with substantial amounts of fuel. Video images of the satellite captured by John Locker, a British amateur satellite watcher, show it to be about 13 feet to 16.5 feet across. He believes it weighs a maximum of 10,000 pounds. Locker calculated its size with data on its altitude and location provided by other amateur satellite watchers, using the International Space Station as a yardstick.

Satellite watchers - a worldwide network of hobbyists who track satellites for fun - have been plotting the satellite's degradation for a year. They estimate it is now at an altitude of about 173 miles, and Locker believes it is dropping about 1,640 feet a day. Where it lands will be difficult to predict until the satellite falls to about 59 miles above the Earth and enters the atmosphere. It will then begin to burn up, with flares visible from the ground, said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. From that point on, he said, it will take about 30 minutes to fall. In the past 50 years of monitoring space, 17,000 manmade objects have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.

Source

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USAF seeks to harden satellite defences
28 January 2008 - Almost one year after China launched an anti-satellite weapon into space, the US Air Force (USAF) says it has identified significant vulnerabilities in USAF space infrastructure and is aggressively seeking to increase defences against future kinetic attacks and jamming.

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The Director of Space and Nuclear Operations for the USAF, Brigadier General C Donald Alston, said US Strategic Command has developed a concept of operations that focuses heavily on improving situational awareness in space, protecting satellites from jamming and developing quick and cheap replacements for space assets rendered inoperable for various reasons, including kinetic or jamming attacks.

"Now we've reached another point with the Chinese and the recognition of the contested environment [in space] is more broadly understood than ever," Gen Alston said at a Washington, DC, press briefing on 24 January. "We [are looking] at our programmes and capabilities and seeing how well we're postured for this in the future."

Gen Alston echoed other USAF officials who have cited an urgent need to improve space situational awareness. "We don't have the capacity ... to be able to attribute those kinds of hostile actions," he said. "When we have an anomaly, you start to triangulate ... and somebody says it was sun-spot activity. I don't know whether or not I would bet a cup of coffee on that in some cases."

USAF seeks to harden satellite defences - Jane's Air Forces News

waltky · 02-14-2008, 08:32 PM

U.S. to Shoot Down Spy Satellite: Don't Want it to Show Up On e-Bay...

U.S. Officials Say Dead Satellite Will Be Shot Down
Feb. 14, 2008 - Disabled Satellite Expected to Hit Earth the First Week of March; Pentagon plans to shoot down bus-size disabled spy satellite hurtling to Earth.

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The Pentagon, under orders from President Bush, is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March, the White House said Thursday. U.S. officials said that the option preferred by the administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that Bush made his decision during the past week and asked experts to come up with a way to destoy the satellite. He made the decision to shoot it down because the satellite was carrying the rocket fuel hydrazine, Perino said. Initally the administration believed that the danger from the falling satellite did not pose a large problem, but decided it was best to shoot it down when experts decided that the unused hydrazine did pose a danger.

Asked about the matter, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "We have been looking at ways to mitigate the possible risk to human lives and to demonstrate our continuing commitment to safe and responsible space operations." The disabled satellite is expected to hit the Earth the first week of March. Officials said the Navy would likely shoot it down before then, using a special missile modified for the task.

Other details about the missile and the targeting were not immediately available. But the decision involves several U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. One of the main goals of the satellite's destruction is to prevent any sensitive equipment from falling into the wrong hands.

More ABC News: U.S. to Shoot Down Spy Satellite: Don't Want It to Show Up on eBay

waltky · 02-15-2008, 08:29 PM

$74m skeet shoot...

How to Down a Wayward Satellite
February 15, 2008 - SpySat Intercept to Cost $74 Million

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ABC's Luis Martinez reports the following new details on how the Navy would try to intercept USA-193, the disabled reconnaissance satellite the Pentagon announced yesterday it would try to destroy before it re-enters the atmosphere:

-- The total cost of the operation to hit the satellite is $74 million. Three SM-3 missiles have been modified for this mission at a cost of $10 million each. For comparison, the first test of an SM-3 fired from a destroyer last June cost $50 million.

-- The first missile will be fired from the cruiser USS Lake Erie. Two destroyers will also be a part of the mission and each will be equipped with back-up missiles.

-- The ships will be operating in waters west of the Hawaiian island of Kauai, mainly because that is where the Navy's missile tests take place Therefore, all the clearances, procedures and authorizations are already in place.

-- The seven or eight day window for launching the missile at the satellite begins Sunday, Feb. 17. However, the Navy will not fire the missile until after the shuttle Atlantis returns to earth on Feb. 20.

One extra point: there have been a lot of posts, some joking and others not, about where the remains of the satellite might land. The government's problem is that it doesn't know. The density of the upper atmosphere varies constantly because of temperature, solar wind, and other factors.

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bizwiz · 02-15-2008, 09:53 PM

Wow! I never imagined shooting down a satellite would be such an expensive task. But I do hop it burns on re-entry, wouldn't want it to end up in the wrong part of the world.

waltky · 02-17-2008, 12:02 AM

Russians tryin' to make an issue of it...

Russia voices concern about U.S. spy satellite situation
Feb. 16, `08 -- The Russian Defense Ministry expressed concern on Saturday about Washington's decision to destroy its damaged intelligence-gathering satellite with air defense systems.

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The United States plans to shoot down a malfunctioning spy satellite carrying toxic fuel, known by its military designation as USA 193. The satellite, launched in Dec. 2006, lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. Left alone, the satellite would be expected to hit earth during the first week of March. Military and administration officials said the satellite is carrying fuel called hydrazine that could injure or even kill people who are near it when it hits the ground.

Washington's decision to liquidate the spacecraft and the hastiness with which the Pentagon is trying to destroy its satellite raise a number of questions, said the Defense Ministry's Department of Information and Public Relations. "In particular, there are not enough arguments to substantiate the decision for intercepting the falling satellite with air defense systems," Itar-Tass news agency quoted the department as saying.

In addition, the United States has not provided "a comparative assessment of the consequences of intercepting the satellite in orbit and its uncontrolled descent," said the ministry. The ministry said the operation to destroy a U.S. spy satellite could prove to be the testing of an anti-satellite weapon, the Itar-Tass reported. "Essentially, speculations about the danger of the satellite hide preparations for the classical testing of an anti-satellite weapon," it said. "Such testing essentially means the creation of a new type of strategic weans," it added.

Source

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US spy satellite plan 'a cover'
Russia says US plans to shoot down a broken spy satellite are a cover for testing an anti-satellite weapon.

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The US said last week that it would use a missile to destroy the satellite, to stop it from crash landing. Officials say the satellite contains hazardous fuel which could kill humans. But Russia's defence ministry said the US planned to test its "anti-missile defence system's capability to destroy other countries' satellites".

The US says the satellite lost power and communications shortly after it was launched in December 2006 and is now uncontrollable. "The decision to destroy the American satellite does not look harmless as they try to claim" - Russian defence ministry statement

It says the satellite is carrying more than 1,000lb (454kg) of hydrazine fuel in a tank which would survive re-entry, and the substance could be released as a toxic gas if the satellite crash landed. The Pentagon said on Saturday that the window for the operation would begin on Wednesday, when the space shuttle Atlantis ended its current mission.

But Russia's defence ministry said the US had not given enough information on the reasons for the decision. "Speculations about the danger of the satellite hide preparations for the classical testing of an anti-satellite weapon," a statement reported by Itar-Tass news agency said.

BROKEN SATELLITE

sunken · 02-17-2008, 07:44 PM

Why don't they just send a shuttle up to collect it? Would seem to make more sense than blowing it out of the sky and potentially hurting people or other satellites. The US can't really be surprised at the reaction from China and Russia. They had the same issues with China's satellite problem.

waltky · 02-19-2008, 02:37 AM

Must be bigger than will fit in the shuttle bay...

US to try satellite shoot-down on Thursday: Report
19 Feb 2008, WASHINGTON: The United States will take its first shot at an out-of-control spy satellite on Thursday, trying to knock it into the sea before it crashes to Earth, possibly causing damage, CNN news reported on Monday.

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A second attempt would be possible if the first misses, the channel said, citing military sources. Pentagon officials were not immediately available for confirmation. Without intervention, the crippled satellite is due to break into the Earth's atmosphere on March 6 and crash down at an unpredictable spot, risking rupturing its tanks of toxic fuel, US authorities warned last week.

A US warship will fire a surface-to-air missile at the satellite at a specific point in its orbit that ensures any Earth-bound debris will splash into the ocean.

The shoot-down plan drew criticism on Sunday from Russia, whose defence ministry said in a statement it looked like a veiled weapons test and an "attempt to move the arms race into space." Washington has denied seeking to cover up the satellite's technological secrets or to make a show of strength after China used a missile to shoot down an old weather satellite in January 2007.

Source

bizwiz · 02-19-2008, 09:44 AM

This is a great way of testing just in case a meteor is on a collision course with Earth that could wipe out a significant number of population.

sheldonking5 · 02-19-2008, 11:29 AM

BOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! *blinks*

waltky · 02-19-2008, 07:37 PM

Taking Aim at the Spy Satellite...

Shooting Down a Satellite: What's at Stake?
Feb. 19, 2008 - For Navy and NASA, What Goes Up Must Come Down

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As soon as the space shuttle Atlantis is safely out of the way, the Navy will take aim this week at a crippled satellite that is hurtling toward Earth. If a missile launched by the Navy succeeds in taking out the bus-sized satellite as streaks across the sky 150 miles up, it will be one of the longest shots ever. But the Navy is pretty confident it won't miss. In fact, the Navy has decided to go with only one ship instead of the three it originally planned to send out on the mission.

ABCNEWS has also learned the first window to launch a missile at the satellite begins at 9:30pm ET Wednesday. The FAA sent an advisory warning ships and planes to stay clear of a large area of the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. They may not actually pull the trigger, however, until Thursday night. The Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie is already at sea off the Hawaiian Islands and was always the primary ship in the mission. The destroyers USS Decatur and USS Russell will remain in their homeport of Pearl Harbor. Pentagon officials had always expressed a high degree of confidence that the satellite, known as USA-193, could be brought down on the first try. Gen. James Cartright suggested last week that there was an 80 to 90 percent chance of scoring a bull's eye.

The Pentagon won't provide advance warning of the shootdown attempt, but within an hour of an interception the Department of Defense will issue a statement announcing the launch, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Tuesday. According to Morrell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will make the final launch decision. Gates leaves Wednesday night for a trip to India, Indonesia and Australia and is prepared to make the decision from the road.

More ABC News: Shooting Down a Satellite: What's at Stake?

See also:

Satellite Shootdown May Be Imminent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2008 - Pentagon Outlines First Attempts To Shoot Down Faltering Spy Satellite

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An attempt to blast a crippled U.S. spy satellite out of the sky using a Navy heat-seeking missile - possibly on Wednesday night - would be the first real-world use of this piece of the Pentagon's missile defense network. But that is not the mission for which it was intended. The attempted shootdown, already approved by President Bush, is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a weapon like a long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit.

The three-stage Navy missile, designated the SM-3, has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of tests since 2002 - in each case targeting a short- or medium-range ballistic missile, never a satellite. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks; Navy officials say the changes will be reversed once this satellite is down. The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, indicating the first window of opportunity to launch an SM-3 missile from a Navy cruiser, the USS Lake Erie, in an effort to hit the wayward satellite. Having lost power shortly after it reached orbit in late 2006, the satellite is well below the altitude of a normal satellite. The Pentagon wants to hit it with an SM-3 missile just before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, in that way minimizing the amount of debris that would remain in space.

The Navy has a lot of experience -- and a pretty good track record -- at shooting down incoming ballistic missiles; in 14 tests, it has hit the target 12 times, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. But this shoot, reports Martin is different. For one thing, the satellite is flying higher and faster than a ballistic missile. For another, it is much colder than a ballistic missile, which is important since the sensor that is supposed to kind the missile's warhead into the satellite is infra red. A ballistic missile picks up heat as it flies through the atmosphere on its way to the target, but this satellite has been in the deep freeze of space for over a year.

More Satellite Shootdown May Be Imminent, Pentagon Outlines First Attempts To Shoot Down Faltering Spy Satellite - CBS News

waltky · 02-20-2008, 04:27 PM

Gonna push the button from Australia...

Australia may be used to shoot down faulty satellite
Feb.20, `08 : The man charged with giving the order to shoot down a failed United States spy satellite might do it from Australia.

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US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates is due in Australia in the coming days as part of a nine-day tour that will take him first to Hawaii and then Australia before he goes on to Indonesia, India and Turkey, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The paper quoted a Pentagon spokesman as saying that Gates would be able to give the order to take down the satellite from anywhere, with the first attempt due on Thursday.

The operation is set to cost about 40 million dollars. The "window of opportunity" to hit the satellite is open for eight days. The US plans to use a Standard SM-3 missile to hit the highly classified satellite - the first such strike ever conducted by the US - and hopes the remains will land in the ocean.

There is a minute possibility the debris will hit earth, and Australia and other nations have been put on standby for that possibility. China successfully conducted a similar mission last year, much to the consternation of Western nations.

Australia may be used to shoot down faulty satellite

See also:

Weather Thwarts High-Tech Satellite Shoot Down
Feb. 20, 2008 : Despite high-tech missiles, satellite shot is dependent on weather.

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The Navy is confident that its high-tech missile cannot only intercept a rogue satellite hurtling at a startling 22,000 mph, but that it can strike the bus-size satellite right in its gas tank. That is, if the weather clears up. Initially, officials said that stormy seas in Pacific could cause a delay in shooting down a crippled spy satellite. But a defense official told ABC News Wednesday that because of "improving" weather, "things are looking better." Two cruisers are waiting to launch a satellite-bound missile off the coast of Hawaii. But the weather improvement doesn't mean the missile will definitely be launched tonight, according to the official. Another change in the weather could affect whether to proceed with a launch at any point.

The shoot down, which is likely to happen before Feb. 29, will have a narrow window of opportunity each day in Hawaii -- literally a matter of seconds. The Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie is already in the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. As the primary ship in the mission, it is carrying two SM3 missiles with specially modified tracking systems to hit the satellite 120 miles above Earth. The destroyer USS Decatur is en route to join the Lake Erie with another backup missile. The USS Russell will remain in its home port of Pearl Harbor to assist with tracking.

The missile is now being tracked by the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Once the satellite is hit, Northern Command in Colorado will track the debris in an attempt to determine how big the pieces are and where they will land. The military will also be looking to see whether the fuel tank has been destroyed. The satellite is considered a cold target, and technicians will have to rely on the sun's energy to heat the satellite just enough to produce a heat signature that the missile's infrared heat sensors can easily target. The tip of the interceptor nose cone also carries optical equipment that helps it lock onto the target.

The satellite will travel at a much faster rate of speed than any of the missiles intercepted in past years of testing. Nevertheless, the Navy believes the missile can be maneuvered to hit the satellite precisely on its sphere-size tank carrying the toxic fuel hydrazine.

More ABC News: Satellite Shoot Down: Weather 'Improving'

waltky · 03-04-2008, 01:25 AM

Granny says dey up t' somethin' sneaky...

Pentagon Says China’s Boost to Space Plan Poses a Threat
March 4, 2008 - China is developing the ability to limit or prevent the use of satellites by potential adversaries, the Pentagon said Monday in a report to Congress.

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The report, the latest annual assessment of China’s military power, highlights developments in China’s commercial space program and asserts that some of it can be of military use. It says Chinese leaders have been silent on the question of a military motivation for their space programs. The report said “writings” by the Chinese military “emphasize the necessity of ‘destroying, damaging and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance/observation and communications satellites.’ ” Such writings suggest that those satellites, and navigation and early-warning satellites, “could be among initial targets of attack to blind and deafen the enemy,” it said.

China also appears to be developing cyberwarfare ability, according to the report. More broadly, the Pentagon report asserted that Beijing’s reluctance to share details about its military buildup posed a risk to stability in Asia. It said the international community had limited knowledge of the motivations, decision-making and capabilities of China’s military modernization. That ignorance includes a lack of clarity about China’s defense spending. Washington contends that Beijing understates military spending by tens of billions of dollars.

“The lack of transparency in China’s military and security affairs poses risks to stability by increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation,” the report said. “This situation will naturally and understandably lead to hedging against th