News: 1595575626

That's no moon...

Interesting, the object had around the speed of an airgun slug so to do any damage would need tohave a bit more mass.

That leads to reaction and how to stabilise a satellite killing launch platform.

I wonder if you could use spin to launch a slug?

Perhaps it was a carefully aimed USB device loaded with BadUSB - far less suspicious if you're satellite is there but not currently responding than if it's missing

Why does it have to be fast-moving? If this was really a weapon test, I expect it was a missile without a warhead.

Popping out a missile that moves under its own power makes far more sense than shooting a projectile and dealing with the Newtonian implications.

Orbits are almost always enitrely predictable, plus a missile could alter its trajectory - harder for a projectile.

Once the killer satellite is in a similar orbit to the target, the delta-v needed for a missile to reach the target is relatively small.

Again, if a weapons test, this may have been an on-orbit deployment and guidance test, seeing the the missile can launch and reach its intended target.

Fixing satellites is now a business, the rooskis have a recent history of poor build QC, Occam applies.

Ergo, It is a repair satellite and the object leaving at speed was previously a working part of the manoeuvring system, something like the Northrop Grumman MEV-1 that was used earlier this year on Intelsat-901.

Yeah I know, and fixing a satellite is a valid non-threat reason for one satellite to approach another.

Indeed, whatever was moving at 700kph could be a component from the target satellite that was removed and fired into a decaying orbit, for burn-up disposal.

But Occam's Razor works both ways, and satellite repair tech can equally be used as an offensive weapon. Ergo it is equally probable an offensive capability was being tested on a defunct Ruskie bird.

Blowing up a satellite leaves a lot of debris that could damage other orbital Russian assets. Pulling something off a target disables it without the debris field.

At least someone will have the kit to defend us when the aliens come back.

Just launch a few tonnes of sand into retrogrde orbit packed around some C4 and blow it up a few hundred miles up. EVERYTHING will be destroyed within a few weeks by 15 km/s grains of sand shredding through it. The ultimate deterrent to any nation threatening unlawful violence against it, is destroying tens of trillions of dollars worth of western value.

That's a...disturbingly specific idea.

You've been thinking a lot about that, haven't you?

The problem is that the energy you need to get the sand into retrograde orbit is *huge* since you have to cancel out the effects of the Earth's rotation.

Another problem is that orbital sand is a non-discriminatory weapon; it may take down your enemy's assets, but it will also take down your own and that of any neutrals as well. The latter are likely to become seriously p***ed off about the whole thing and might join forces against you.

It is unusual, but not unheard of, to launch things into retrograde orbit.

From the sometimes-dubious font of all knowledge that is Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_satellites_in_retrograde_orbit

Destroying kit worth billions in Dollar, Rouble & Yuan value will annoy ALL the big players at the same time and give them a common enemy that fired first.

I doubt they'd leave two bricks standing.

Definitely a nuclear option. Think very-well-funded nutjob, or a rogue nation that doesn't give a shit about the rest of the world's satellites. But then even rogue nations tend to have an ally in China and/or Russia, and obliterating your ally's assets is rarely a smart move.

So I'd go with the nutjob. Global ransom.

[Left pinky touching right corner of mouth]: Pay me 1 meellion dollars or I wipe out the world's satellites.

Some time ago, late 1960;s, early 70's the USSR fitted a modified canon to one of its mini space stations. The project was labled a soyuz, but it is also known as an Almaz.

The russian 20MM canon has a muzzle velocity of 820Ms-1 at ground level - I would assume it would be a slightly lighter charge would do it to get 700Ms-1

It used a rear gun from a bear strategic bomber - 30mm I think - I believe it was successfully test fired then - though not clear if it hit anything....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikhter_R-23

The Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 supposedly flown into space fires 23X115 shells at 720m/sec, or about 2400 km/h, somewhat faster than the reported 700km/h. The 23 is in mm.

doesn't forbid weapons in outer space, let alone anti-satellites in earth orbit. On the other hand - err, paw - the various arms control treaties including the multilateral one covering Europe from Russia to the UK, from Spain to Svalbard to Turkey, have a provision permitting the use of national technical means of verification, which amongst other sins, covers the protection of remote-sensing satellites against interference. If the United States leadership had half the gumption of your average twelve-year-old schoolboy, they would've turned that provision into a broader multilateral anti-satellite treaty at the time when they were undeniably the winners of the Cold War and were still not wasting their substance on chasing the will-o-the-wisp in Central Asia and the Middle East. And could effectively dictate terms as they did in the WTO ... but no, they were too intent on examining the contents of their innermost rectums ... and applying some self-satisfying rectal therapy ... Better them than me!!!

If they had had half the gumption of a twelve-year-old boy ...

There are some weapons in Space, but they form a part of the Soyuz survival kit, mainly for scaring off bears. That's bears in Siberia should you land there, not bears in space.

The TP82 triple barreled Russian survival gun is a thing of beauty, and bonkersness at the same time.

The US's anti-satellite test mission is hardly secret - 13 September 1985.

Maj. Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson is the only fighter pilot to date to have chalked up a kill in space so far.

I heard someone say the other day though that both the Russians and the Chinese are stepping up these space warfare projects because.... Trump created Space Force... announcing to the world that the USA is officially taking war into space.

And PS the 1967 Outer Space Treaty doesn't prohibit conventional weapons in space, only "weapons of mass destruction" and you can't turn the moon or any other celestial body into a battle station (are you listening Darth?)

you can't turn the moon or any other celestial body into a battle station

Oh honestly!...these days it's just health & safety gone mad!!