Press TV Reports:
A Russian deputy defense minister, General Valentin Popovkin, said while Russia opposes a space arms race, it would not let steps by other countries toward space militarization go unanswered, Russian news agencies reported. "We can't sit back and quietly watch others doing that; such work is being conducted in Russia," said Gen. Popovkin.
Popovkin, who previously served as the chief of Russian military Space Forces, claimed that Russian technicians had already developed some "basic, key elements" of such weapons but did not elaborate on details. His remarks came in response to a question about US and Chinese tests of anti-satellite weapons. In February 2008, the US struck a dying satellite with missiles launched from a Navy cruiser. Earlier in 2007, a Chinese missile destroyed one of its own aging satellites. Russia and the United States are the only two nations to have successfully performed anti-satellite weapons tests.(Continue Reading) ....
4 comments:
We (globally) sure are putting an awful lot of satellites up there.
The Iridium project was a collection of 66 (so named for the atomic number of Iridium as the original plan called for 77) geosynchronous low orbital satellites (plus 6 extras)were launched launched over the course of year (1997-1998).
The goal was ostensibly to blanket the globe with telecommunications coverage. Motorola/Iridium (who provided much of the technology) had a second larger project planned (a constellation of 97) even as it was launching these - much of the funding came from Asia if I remember correctly. It looks as if they may have had severe financial troubles though which impeded their ability to complete the later project.
On Feb. 10, 2009, Iridium 33 collided with an older zombie Russian satellite, Cosmo 2251.
We're all just busy little bees.
Thanks for the interesting comment.
China, Russia and the US are all working on satellite killers. The US and China has tested theirs on a satellite in orbit. Some scientists are saying the crash in orbit was done on purpose by the Russians to test one of their systems but I do not believe that. A piece from a Delta rocket [1/4 inch?] amost hit the ISS a couple days ago which would have depressurized the station. They have said that a paint chip in space [17,000 MPH] could rip a hole in a spacesuit or the station. I read an article a few days ago about a plan in the future to remove the space junk with some form of space vehicle.
Thanks for the information re space station.
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