Assets in Orbit
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There is a good chance that you are reading this blog by way of a group of commercial communication satellites orbiting the earth. These “satellite constellations” are the backbone of our modern communication networks and permit social media users to stay connected to one another. Besides carrying the internet and cable channels, satellites also allow us to navigate with GPS, pass along huge numbers of financial transactions, help predict our weather, link together cell phone networks, provide the military with intelligence, communications and navigation capabilities and help manage our electric grids. In other words, they deeply affect our daily lives. We take these relay points for granted and assume that they will always be available. What would happen if they suddenly disappeared and your Facebook or Instagram sessions went dark? The 2013 film Gravity portrayed the chain reaction that resulted from the intentional destruction of a satellite. While that was a work of fiction, reality may not be a lot different.
The other day was May 4th, aka “Star Wars Day” (May the 4th be with you). It reminded me about the Death Star, the ultimate in “killer satellites” and I wondered if any threats are circling in our skies. Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are various systems designed to cripple or destroy orbiting objects. These can be ground based, launched from aircraft or placed in earth orbit. As far back as the 1980’s, The United States and the Soviet Union tested various ASATs. On January 11, 2007, China destroyed one of its own obsolete weather satellites with an ASAT rocket, proving that they have that capability. More recently, Russia put three mysterious, highly maneuverable satellites the Kosmos-2491, Kosmos-2499 and Kosmos-2504 into orbit. While the purpose of these remains uncertain, their ability to reposition themselves in orbit makes them a potential threat. In early 2020, Iran put its first military satellite into orbit and North Korea has two satellites, the Kwangmyongsong-3 (KMS-3) and Kwangmyongsong-4 (KMS-4), each of which could carry a nuclear armed payload capable of producing an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that could blackout a nation for months or years. There are over 1,400 satellites in space, some in low and medium earth orbits and some high up in geosynchronous orbits. These are owned and operated by dozens of different nations. The vast majority of them present no threat, but it only takes a few malicious ones to do serious harm. How can the United States defend our space assets and protect the nation from chaos? Enter the United States Space Force (USSF). damage.
This new branch of the military has, as one of its responsibilities, the protection of American space property from potential enemies. The Space Force will have the ability to search and destroy an enemy’s “killer satellites” and thereby protect our own. Additional chores can be cleaning up some of the “space junk” in orbit that also poses threats to our satellites. According to NASA, there are over 500,00 pieces of orbital debris. The average impact speed of a piece of this “space garbage” when it runs into another object is 22,370 miles per hour. That can destroy a satellite! Oh, and if we encounter extraterrestrial visitors in space, it would be good to have a prepared team like the USSF there to greet them … but the likelihood of encountering ET is a matter for other blogs..
The COVID-19 crisis has increased our dependency upon the internet, and therefore on our satellites. We are working from home. Our students are being taught online. We shop in cyber stores. We are entertained in virtual theatres. We even use social media to do the ultimate in social distancing and yet stay in contact with one another, helping us to maintain a semblance of sanity. A disruption of the satellite system by an adversary would throw an already stressful situation into chaos. Guarding our space-based assets is of utmost importance, and the USSF is needed for this task.
