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India Developing Vehicle To Knock Enemy Satellites
Frankie70 writes "Star Wars are back in fashion. With perennial (and nuclear armed) foe Pakistan always teetering on the brink of political collapse and neighboring regional superpower China taking greater strides into space technology, India has announced that it is developing an exo-atmospheric 'kill vehicle' that will knock enemy satellites out of orbit."
This headline made me think of D&D before anything else.
With everyone "testing" their antisatellite weaponry and creating ever more orbital debris, pretty soon there'll be so much debris up there we won't be able to keep any satellites operational.
China's test of a year or two back may have already generated enough debris to start a chain reaction, any more and we may definitely go over the brink to where nothing is survivable in low earth orbit.
--PM
Sounds like a one-time use kinetic energy weapon would be suffice. A rod of (insert your favourite metal here).
India and Russia both have this habit of announcing these awesome things, and then never actually doing them. If India and Russia would have done everything they said, India would have five aircraft carriers and a man on the moon, Russia would have mach 15 planes for everyone, and more.
This is my sig.
The technology is there. But I wonder: will they have to modify the software at NORAD to take into account Big Objects that get transmuted to A Bunch Of Little Objects? I am a geek: I'm thinking about software updates.
Weaponizing space is a seriously bad idea. The US, Russia, Japan and China are not going to like this.
cat sig >
By putting up thousands of fake satellites and thousands of smaller real, but redundant satellites. :)
.
But hey, the Indians need stimulus spending thought the purchase of unnecessary military hardware too. After all, look how well it's worked for us in the USA?
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
You can't just 'knock something out of orbit,' like it's a porcelain vase on a mantelpiece. Orbits do not work that way! They're building a kill vehicle to blow up satellites.
They're still going to be in orbit, just in lots of little pieces.
Sadly it seems that a military space race might be exactly what the world needs to get behind space tech.
Can't regular missiles do the job?
Won't somebody think of the missiles?
crazy dynamite monkey
And they will build it for 1/10th the price of American workers. Except they will get the requirements wrong and literally build an "atmospheric kill vehicle"... leading to the wide spread destruction of Earth's atmosphere...
I personally cant wait for Dish & Direct TV to start battling it out by shooting down each others satellites.
The problem is, even if you knock down their satellites they're going to retaliate on the ground in your largest populated cities. And they don't need their satellites to do that.
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
this was developed by some disgruntled IT employee.
Hello, this is Bob your friendly local IT representative, how my I help you?
Yes, my computer broke after spilling coffee in the cup-holder. Can you fix it?
* facepalm
* launches satellite displacement missile
Ok, just give me a sec... ****CARRIER LOST****
They plan on taking 9 year olds and putting them in bright yellow 1 man spacecrafts with a paylod of missiles and some laser capabilities.
They will then land/dock with the ISS, accidentally fire a pair of missiles, and return to Earth. There will then be a parade with a ridiculous amount of confetti.
I don't know what inspired them, but its genius.
Cue classic scene from Spies like Us
Though this could never actually happen, because well, MTV doesn't play music videos anymore.
What defines that a satellite is "enemy"? Launched by a now-enemy state used for anything, like controlling the gps network, monitor climate or tv transmission? Or something passive like watching over your territory and transmits to your enemy sensible information? Or something more active like... mmm destroying your satelites and not sure if can be done anything else aggresive at this moment.
Don't worth to worry about the 1st kind (unless you are the aggressor), the 3rd kind is, for now, just you, and the 2nd one, well, there are plenty of probably neutral satellites looking down to all world (probably most sensible areas can be spotted by google earth, no need to launch your own satellites because of that) to worry in particular your enemiy ones. Looks like this kind of satellites announces that you are ready to take the aggresive role, dont look so particulary useful for defense.
We already have the technology to destroy something using a high powered laser beam. Why use a laser to guide a missile when you can just shoot it down with a laser, all still from within space? Seems a little obsolete to me.
I live in the state of Punjab, which shares a border with Pakistan. The villages closet to the Pakistan territory are always at the receiving of rocket fire, mortars and indiscriminate open firing at night from the Pakistan side. As always, Pakistan denies it. 99% of the times, the Indian Border Security Force does not retaliate and just issues a notice against the attacks. Considering the threat we have from our neighbor, any measure that strengthens our defense is always a good idea and is welcomed. Rest assured, India never restores to the attack first approach (from history).
Indian exo-atmospheric 'kill vehicle': *knock* *knock*
Jim @ International Space Station: "WTF?! We didn't order any take-out! Goddamn annoying fuckards! *flushes* That'll teach ya!"
Bob @ ISS: "Holy fuck! You took 'em out with only one flush!"
Jim @ ISS: "Yeah... Had vindaloo for lunch."
I knew I wouldn't have to scroll too far to see anti-Indian racism. Sad but true.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
All these billions spent on projects yet nobody reads Heinlein.
Go grab a copy of The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.
You don't need nukes when you have sufficient g's.
Look on the brightside. If they do end up screwing up space, and fullscale wars among satellites do occur, we can always market it as a new form of entertainment.
"Battlebots In SPACE!"
We could then all take turns designing new battlebot satellites to fight one another. Mine would have a long arm with a buzzsaw on it... and lazers and one that shoots bees (in little space suits)...
http://www.beanleafpress.com
You mean like SDI?
Hey, it's just taking a little bit longer than expected. But at least they can intercept some missiles now, and at varying stages in flight.
This is my sig.
Any of the countries with space launch capability could ruin the party. It was pointed out years ago that a vehicle loaded with ball bearings can be sent around the Moon and back toward Earth, releasing a load of shrapnel which would sweep across all Earth-based orbits. Fortunately, space is big. Really big. So the damage would be spread out over time, depending upon how large the attack is.
I guess no one in India has ever heard of Kessler Syndrome .
Shooting "down" satellites would likely cause just as much long term harm to the country launching the missile as the country losing the first satellite.
I would be intereseted to know if any astrophysicists have estimates on how many satellites have to be blown up before space is completely useless. I would think stastics calculations involved would be fairly simple.
'Indian' is not a race, No more than American is..
You do not have it quite right.
The bigger picture is what counts. Russia, China, and India, and I suspect Japan, are all strongly tending to very deep cooperation. This is not due to some historical friendship!
On space stuff, I think of the recent economic policy announcements by the Russians, which puts an emphasis, not the biggest emphasis, but an emphasis on space technology, and in context nuclear powered space tech. And Russian and India just signed a nuclear deal that spits in the face of Obamba and happens to open up cooperation on light weight nuclear reactors. that means launchable reactors
Less clear is the Japanese plan for a SPSS. But again, context. Japan and Russia and Japan and China are busy making very friendly nice talk and deals.
You might note that the russian-chinese rail deal required actions between the two peoples that are unique in human history for them. so business as usual reasoning is best described as insane. sort of like congress:-)
So ho hum. After peeling off the unnecessary, inevitable and stilted rationalization for violence (hey, I enjoy war as much as the next soldier, but not with imaginary friends) I've decoded the message here. The article is intended more for flag waving than for technology announcement. In fact I believe this to be agitprop, simply propoganda to stir up any targets and make them believe this might be possible.
Oh, and possible it is. China had their turn recently. As for the US:
[ASAT SPIN]
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-135_ASAT )
Starting in 1960 the Department of Defense (DoD) started a program called SPIN (SPace INtercept).[1] In 1962, the United States Navy air launched rockets from an F-4D fighter as part of Project Hi-Hoe with the objective of developing an anti-satellite weapon.[3][4]
The United States developed direct ascent anti-satellite weapons. A United States Army Nike Zeus missile armed with a nuclear warhead destroyed an orbiting satellite in May 1963.[5] One missile from this system known as Project MUDFLAP and later as Project 505 was available for launch from 1964 until 1967.[5] A nuclear armed Thor anti-satellite system deployed by the United States Air Force under Program 437 eventually replaced the Project 505 Nike Zeus in 1967. The Program 437 Thor missile system remained in limited deployment until 1975.
[ASM-135A]
(from http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/asat.htm )
Anti-satellite missile. Country: USA. Status: Retired 1986. Department of Defence Designation: ASM-135A. Popular Name: Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle.
The ASAT air-launched anti-satellite missile was developed by Vought in response to a 1977 Air Force requirement for a missile that could be launched from an F-15A fighter yet was capable of intercepting and destroying enemy satellites in low earth orbit. Four of five tests were successful before the program was cancelled in 1988.
To launch the ASAT, the F-15A pilot had to fly a precise launch profile. At the calculated pull-up point, flying at Mach 1.22, he had to pull into a 3.8 G, 65 degree vertical climb. The missile would automatically release itself at 11,600 m altitude, followed by first stage ignition. After the first stage burned out and separated, the second stage propelled the Miniature Homing Vehicle (MHV) into space in a near-vertical trajectory on a collision course with the target. The second stage was equipped with a hydrazine attitude control system and spin table for the MHV. The second stage would orient the MHV toward the oncoming satellite (as determined by pre-launch orbital tracking data), spin the MHV up, and then release it. The MHV homed on the satellite, which was approaching at 8 km/second, and destroyed the target by ramming it.
1985 September 13 - Western Test Range DZ -. First US ASAT intercept Agency: USAF. Apogee: 550 km (345 mi). Successful ASAT intercept test; rammed and destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite.
Manufacturer: Vought. Launches: 5. Success Rate: 100.00%. First Launch Date: 1984-01-21. Last Launch Date: 1986-09-30. Launch data is: complete. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 0 N ( lbf). Total Mass: 1,200 kg (2,600 lb). Core Diameter: 0.46 m (1.50 ft). Total Length: 5.40 m (17.70 ft). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Boost engine: SR75. Cruise Propulsion: Solid rocket. Cruise engine: FW-4S TEM640. Cruise Thrust: 27.400 kN (6,160 lbf).
* Stage1: 1 x ASAT-1. Gross Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Motor: 1 x LPC-415. Length: 4.30 m (14.10 ft). Diameter: 0.46 m (1.50 ft). Propellants: Solid.
* Stage2: 1 x Star 20. Gross Mass: 301 kg (663 lb). Empty Mass: 28 kg (61 lb). Motor: 1 x Star 20. Thrust (vac): 27.135 kN (6,100 lbf). Burn time: 28 sec. Length: 1.50 m (4.90 ft). Diameter: 0.50 m (1.64 ft). Propellants: Solid.
A modified Boeing AGM-69 SRAM missile with a Lockheed P
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
India: A country with a miserably low GDP, lots of basic sanitation problems and a high illiteracy rate - but it MUST have a system to knock down enemy satellites. Way to go, guys!
I knew I wouldn't have to scroll too far to see anti-Indian racism. Sad but true.
Racist? Dude, go get a sense of humor. There's nothing at all racist about that joke. You want racist jokes? Here are a few (poking fun at my own anscestors):
What's a seven course meal for an Irishman? A six pack and a potato
How many Irish does it take to change a light bulb? Three: One to hold the bulb and two to drink until the room spins.
If you hear a British accent in a bar, how do you tell if he's English, Scottish, or Irish? Wait until a fly lands in his beer. An Englishman will push the glass aside and politely order a fresh beer. A Scotsman will make a face, pull the fly out, and keep drinking. An Irishman will pull the fly out and scream "SPIT IT OUT YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"
I heard these jokes in a bar. The fellow telling them was visiting from Ireland. It's too bad so many other cultures are so tightassed they can't enjoy a joke made at their expense. I feel sorry for someone with so little self respect that they can't enjoy a joke at their expense.
Free Martian Whores!
As if, the US government will allow such a weapon to be able to get out into space and be able to literally render the US blind...
Bloomberg reports that 50% percent of Indian military equipment is obsolete.
http://www.bloombergutv.com/news/latest-business-news-india/42481/-half-of-defence-equipment-is-obsolete-.html
While it may sound pretty bad, its only a little worse than the industry average -
worldwide average - 30% equipment should be “state-of-the-art”, 40% “mature” and only 30% “obsolete”.
Indian defence average - 15% equipment is “state-of-the-art”, 35% “mature” and 50% “obsolete”
Here is a few more reports
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_50pct-indian-arms-obsolete-report_1334536
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article80014.ece
KHA-A-A-A-A-A-A-AN!
There. I just knocked 'em.
1) found satellite company
2) have other nations outsource satellites to them for "cost savings."
3) threaten to blow satellites up.
4) obscene excess profits!
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
They already have a 'vehicle' in place, it's effects are devastating. The tough part will getting their enemies to sign the support contract.
I knew I wouldn't have to scroll too far to see a hypersensitive little flower deliberately misunderstand a joke so he could point the finger of racism. Sad but true.
You know, if an Indian made that joke to you, you'd laugh, but if someone you guess to be an American does it, it's racist? So you would treat this differently based on the race of the joke-teller? Does racism mean the same thing in your country as mine?
Go back to harrassing American pre-teens on xbox you loser.
Does India even have enemies that have satellites?
If India and China went to war that would wipe out the take-out industry on a global scale. We would all be stuck eating Mexican.
"No country is so poor or so backward that it cannot afford the most modern weapon technology".
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
And if they're already invading your cities, wouldn't it be nice to be able to take down their satellites.
now if they produce satellites instead, the planets would be coming after them for cheaper labor.