Groupings of spacecraft have long become the most important element of the armed forces of different countries. In addition, concerns about the possible expansion of hostilities into outer space with the use of appropriate anti-satellite systems began to be expressed quite a long time ago. For obvious reasons, such prospects are a serious cause for concern for specialists and the general public interested in the future of weapons and equipment.
On May 9, The Washington Post published an article by Christian Davenport, "A fight to protect‘the most valuable real estate in space’". The American journalist studied the topic of anti-satellite combat systems and made some conclusions about the prospects for such weapons, as well as their impact on the strategic situation.
K. Davenport began his material by recalling the most famous case of the use of anti-satellite weapons. In 2007, the Chinese military launched a special rocket of a new type, which hit a disabled satellite, destroying it and creating a large cloud of debris. Subsequently, China conducted another similar test of a new weapon. As a result of these events, the Pentagon began to pay increased attention to new weapons capable of launching a war into space.
The reason for this concern is related to the characteristics of the Chinese interceptor missile. The target of the second interception was in a geostationary orbit with an altitude of about 22 thousand miles (about 35 thousand km). It is at this height that the main spacecraft of the military grouping of different countries, including the United States, are located. As a consequence, a successful attack on a target in a remote orbit became a cause for concern.
The second test launch did not result in the target being hit, as the interceptor passed close to it. Nevertheless, this was enough to start a new program. The US Department of Defense and Intelligence were forced to provide significant spending to study new topics. The purpose of the new work, according to the head of the US Air Force Space Command, General John Hayten, is "to protect the most valuable real estate in space," namely, numerous satellites for various purposes used by the military and other security forces.
The emergence of the risk of destroying spacecraft in different orbits has led to the emergence of several new ideas regarding the protection of satellite constellations for reconnaissance purposes. First of all, this is a decrease in the sensitivity of satellite equipment to electronic warfare systems. In addition, there was a proposal to use not a small number of large and complex vehicles, but to launch a constellation of small satellites into orbit. It is assumed that such reconnaissance systems will become a much more difficult target for enemy interceptors.
Also, administrative measures are being taken. The Secretary of the Air Force is now also responsible for military operations in space and can coordinate with various other agencies. The Air Force and other structures are conducting research and exercises aimed at working out the main features of prospective conflicts in outer space.
TO. Davenport notes that the revitalization of the current activities of countries in space may be a sign of a new arms race, since it is space technology that can now be considered one of the most important. For example, the Pentagon is currently developing the Space Fence system, the task of which will be to track space debris with increased performance compared to existing tracking systems.
Specialists from security agencies and intelligence services are now worried not only about putting their spacecraft into orbit, but also about maintaining their performance in the face of the use of countermeasures by a potential enemy. There are risks of using systems of various types that can "blind" satellites. In addition, it is possible to deploy "parasitic satellites", whose task will be to deteriorate the working conditions of reconnaissance vehicles. The author believes that such actions of opponents will not allow soldiers to correctly orient themselves and work on the battlefield, and high-precision weapons will lose the ability to correctly search for targets.
K. Davenport quotes Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work. According to the latter, for a long time space was considered as a kind of safe reserve. As a result, most spacecraft are large, expensive and capable of many things, but this technique is extremely vulnerable to various threats. The most striking feature of the current situation in the field of space weapons, according to the author, is the fact that US officials openly talk about existing problems, but at the same time information about work in this area is still not subject to disclosure.
In recent years, there could be an active development of promising anti-satellite systems. American experts believe that while the United States was engaged in the fight against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia and China were developing promising systems for attacking American spacecraft.
Commenting on the risks associated with space weapons, General J. Hayten argued that at present any military operation in the world is critically dependent on certain satellite systems. Whether the specialists of the United States understand this or not, the whole world will follow them.
The author of The Washington Post recalls that since 1991, after the Gulf War, the United States military has become increasingly dependent on spacecraft for various purposes. Satellites of various models are used for obtaining images of the terrain, communication with remote areas and navigation, which can be used both for the movement of ships or aircraft, and for the guidance of high-precision weapons. In addition, satellite navigation, like some other "space" technologies, have long entered the life of the civilian population and are widely used in various fields.
The new capabilities provided by the exploitation of the satellite constellation gave the American forces significant advantages over various adversaries. In this regard, the army and law enforcement agencies regularly launched new satellites for one purpose or another.
The possible appearance in Russia and China of some promising means capable of disabling the space infrastructure is a cause for serious concern for American officials. The Pentagon is seriously afraid of such a scenario in which its satellites will have to "hide" from a potential enemy. At the same time, some evidence of the existence of such threats has already been found.
Not so long ago, the head of the US Strategic Command, Admiral Cecil Haney, said that DPRK specialists had successfully jammed the signal of the GPS satellites. Iran, in turn, is engaged in its own space program. Also, the command has information about the fall into the hands of some terrorist organizations of special encrypted communication technologies used in the space industry. The admiral was forced to admit that, despite all efforts, a future conflict could begin in space or, starting on Earth, go into outer space.
The leaders of the American military department began to show concern about the promising systems of foreign countries for a long time, but until a certain time they did not express it. All statements about the need for urgent action began to be made only after the Chinese tests in 2013. General J. Hayten recalls that there was serious disillusionment in US space circles at that time. To solve the existing problems, a certain impetus was required. The impetus for the start of work in a new direction was the statements of R. O. Work. In 2014, during one of the meetings, he asked a simple and direct question: if the conflict really goes on in space, what will the armed forces do?
According to K. Davenport, the Pentagon is currently spending $ 22 billion on space projects. In addition, this year, an additional 5 billion was allocated for such developments, with 2 billion planned to be spent on the so-called. space control: a program that includes a number of classified weapons projects. Whether there are any anti-satellite systems among the new developments - the official representatives of the armed forces do not specify. Nevertheless, it is known that in 1985, American specialists managed to shoot down an old satellite using a special air-launched missile. Consequently, the United States possesses the technology needed to deal with objects in orbit.
New plans to protect the satellite constellation are being approved by experts. For example, Elbridge Colby, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, believes that the Pentagon is moving in the right direction. If the United States can come into conflict with Russia or China, then the risks associated with critical and vulnerable space systems should be considered.
About six months ago, the United States military commissioned a new operations center for the space group. According to General J. Hayten, the start of the operation of this facility was very slow - the military for a long time simply did not think about the need for such a center. Nevertheless, the staff of the new center has already begun work. It is assumed that the operations center will improve the interaction of various structures of the armed forces.
J. Hayten notes that there has been a significant change in attitudes towards work. Space was previously viewed as a relatively safe environment, but now it looks different. Thus, specialists working in the space industry must now remember that they are military personnel and have appropriate tasks. However, it is noted that the Pentagon does not intend to foment a war, but is taking measures aimed at its exclusion.
In the context of promising anti-satellite weapons, the author of The Washington Post recalls the recent statements of the US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control Frank Rose. The official has openly expressed concern over the development of Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons. He also noted that the United States is striving to prevent conflicts from entering outer space and intends to use available diplomatic means for this. According to F. Rose, no one is interested in the transition of war into space.
According to K. Davenport, the very fact of the appearance of the statements of the Deputy Secretary of State speaks of the seriousness of the problem. NS. Colby, in turn, notes that the loud, consistent and somewhat dramatic statements of the Pentagon also confirm the importance of the topic.
To date, China has demonstrated its potential in countering satellites with two test interceptions. These events have given rise to serious concerns. Brian Weeden, a technical advisor at the Secure World Foundation, recalls that the flight of an interceptor missile at a minimum distance from a satellite in geostationary orbit, where a large number of critical vehicles are located, very, very much frightened American specialists.
After this test launch, official Beijing announced the testing of a ground-based interceptor missile. It is noteworthy that Chinese officials denied the anti-satellite purpose of the new development.
Russian developments in the space industry are also of concern to the US military. In 2014, Russia launched a satellite into orbit that could pose a certain danger. This device gained fame after it passed between two commercial satellites of the Intelsat series, and then approached the third. B. Weeden claims that there was no danger of a collision, but the distance between the vehicles was reduced too much. Unfortunately for the American journalist, the Russian embassy declined to comment on the incident.
General J. Hayten believes that without a modern satellite constellation, the United States will have to return to the "industrial era" of war. The army will have to fight using technology from the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, while precision missiles and "smart" bombs will simply not be available. As a consequence, losses will increase and collateral damage will be higher. J. Hayten does not intend to conduct hostilities in this way, since this is not the "American way" of war.
