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China Shoots Down Another Satellite

Posted by Soulskill on from the time-to-hide-the-goldeneye-in-a-lagrange-point dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It was reported this weekend that China shot down another of its satellites in January this year. 'The website of Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV said the anti-satellite missile test, if confirmed, is likely related to the missile interception test, which occurred at the peak of a dispute between Beijing and Washington on a massive US arms sales deal to Taiwan. During the interception test, US agencies spotted two missiles launched from two locations from the Chinese mainland, colliding outside the atmosphere, a Pentagon spokesperson said.' I guess ballistic trajectories that intersect with orbital ones don't count as 'weapons in space.'"

5 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. God damn it, China! by kurokame · · Score: 3, Informative

    Didn't you make enough bloody space junk the first time? NEO pollution is becoming a serious issue, and this isn't helping anyone.

    1. Re:God damn it, China! by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually I believe that this test didn't contribute to that.
      It sounds as if the intercept was at sub orbital speeds. IE it was a missile interception test.
      Frankly this was miss titled big time.
      Not that it is a good thing but it may not be as bad as you think.

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  2. Re:Will the debris be a problem? by jeffmeden · · Score: 2, Informative

    It often takes more energy to de-orbit something (so it burns up) than it does to escape-orbit it (so it flies off into space)... A "shoot-down" pretty much always means "we scattered it into several lower and higher orbits". The only hopes for it removing itself from orbit are by atmospheric drag causing it to decay until it falls to earth.

  3. we aren't too excited by aepervius · · Score: 2, Informative

    We aren't too excited, because the USA had this tech (destroying satellite) for some time. If anything it re-establish the BOP which is good thing for peace.

    --
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  4. Re:What the hell? by cyfer2000 · · Score: 3, Informative

    They make radars for F15, F18, F22... Patriot and a lot of other missiles. And Raytheon also invented microwave oven.

    --
    There is a spark in every single flame bait point.