The U.S. Navy shot down spy satellite USA-193 (NROL-21) last
Wednesday night at approximately 10:26 PM (EST). The USS Lake Erie launched a modified tactile Standard Missile-3 (SM-3)
with a non-explosive warhead, targeting the satellite at 133 nautical miles
(210 kilometers) above the earth's surface. Satellite USA-193 (NROL-21) was
moving at more than 17000 mph, and was struck above the Pacific Ocean northwest
of Hawaii.
The Navy missile closed in on the satellite with a velocity
of about 22,783 mph (36.667 kph). The initial view of the missile strike
indicated that the satellite had been hit, and the military was confident that
the fuel tank had been destroyed. Although it will take more time to determine
if the threat posed by the satellite's hydrazine tank has been eliminated
completely, concern about an
uncontrolled re-entry is gone. Still, many questions remain. How will the rest
of the world respond to the United
States' ability to shoot a satellite out of
the sky? Did Wednesday's actions legitimize
China's ASAT test of last year? Will these two ASAT excercises open the door for other countries
to begin anti-satellite testing? And could this lead to conflicts in space or
even all-out space wars?
There has been worldwide coverage of America's ASAT success, and some
commentators worry about a blurring of the lines between defending against long-range
missiles and targeting satellites in orbit. Much of this concern is caused
because last week's ASAT exercise was completed using the Pentagon's missile
defense system. This equipment is comprised of radar, interceptors, and communication
systems which were designed to hit an oncoming ballistic missile fired at the United States by North Korea.
Many details of the U.S. missile defense system are
still under wraps, but the military has completed several test exercises since
2002. Then, the system underwent a hurry-up program in order to adapt ballistic
missiles for an anti-satellite mission. To its credit, the U.S. Navy completed the
changeover in a matter of weeks. Still, critics question whether last week's
shootdown was just a more sophisticated and better publicized test of a warhead
which moves much more erratically than a satellite.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff
Morrell has denied that the last week's satellite shootdown was just a test of America's
missile defense system. Instead, he reiterated that the United States sought to remove a
threat posed by the satellite's fuel tank. Now, some observers see last week's
test as a sign that the United States
is "stronger" and "better" than China
because it can shoot down a satellite without creating a lot of space debris.
These observers also note that the United States showed the world that
it can launch an ASAT weapon from anywhere on the high seas. Others dismiss the
entire episode as showmanship from a technologically advanced and militarily
ready country.
Editors Note: Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of this four part series. Part 4 will be posted tomorrow.
CR4 Aerospace Blog
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