Tenth Anniversary of the Chinese Anti-Satellite (ASAT) MissileTest

[DemolitionMan]

 Mike Rogers & Jim Cooper


January 11, 2017, marks the tenth anniversary of China’s test of an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile against their own weather satellite. On that date in 2007, China provocatively demonstrated their ability to attack satellites in a domain long perceived as “sanctuary”.  This action received strong international condemnation and placed the United States and its Allies on notice that our reliance on space for warfighting and intelligence was now at risk. Further, it showed the broader national security community that space could become a battlefield between major powers, making it a critical domain for both defense and deterrence.  Since this ASAT test, the threat has grown.  The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) noted in his 2016 Annual Threat Assessment that China and Russia continue to progress in developing weapons systems capable of destroying satellites on orbit. The DNI highlighted that China conducted another ASAT missile test in 2014 and the Russian government recommended a resumption in research and development of an airborne anti-satellite missile to “intercept absolutely everything that flies from space”.  Time and distance are no longer on our side against these foreign space threats.  Coincidentally, January 11th is also the 16th anniversary of the Report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization, also known as the “Space Commission”.  This independent analysis, led by former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld prior to his leadership of the military, is often considered the seminal work in how our space forces should be managed and organized to address the threats the Nation would face. 

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/01/11/tenth_anniversary_of_the_chinese_anti-satellite_asat_missiletest_110617.html

[DemolitionMan]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv5Uf7pJ9dM


On January 11, 2007, Fengyun 1C, a Chinese weather satellite, was destroyed by a Chinese anti-satellite missile. This created the largest number of trackable debris items of any single event, with over 3,000 objects larger than 10cm created, approximately 20% of all of the objects orbiting in low-Earth orbit, although a sizeable number of pieces have already reentered the Earth's atmosphere.

These all pose a threat to other orbiting satellites, as even a small object travelling at 28,000km/h (17,000mph) can cause substantial damage. In fact, in January 2013, the Russian "BLITS" satellite was badly damaged by a piece of Fengyun-1C, and the International Space Station has had to take a evasive action to avoid a collision on more than one occasion.