Tag: ASAT

Russia has been engaged in direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) anti-satellite weapon tests in the past months. On April 15 a missile launch from the Plesetsk test site on the arctic circle. Russian media sources reports said the missile tested was a variant of 'Nudol' anti-ballistic missile that has reached a speed of over 7,000 m/sec, thus positioned in the 'hypersonic' category.

Russia is preparing to renew flight testing of a high-power flying laser designed to operate as an anti-satellite weapon, the Tass news agency reported. Based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport plane the airborne laser laboratory aircraft flew for its first test mission in August 19, 1981. Two aircraft were modified and equipped for the tests that ceased following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

China's Defense Ministry confirmed today that it was pressing ahead with anti-missile system tests after pictures appeared on state television, depicting a successful missile intercept test conducted in 2010. Earlier this week Beijing released another video depicting an anti-satellite test conducted last year. The Aolong-1 (Roaming Dragon) spacecraft sent into orbit last month will be cleaning up space junk, other analysts suspect it could serve a military purpose.

China may be planning to conduct an anti-satellite (ASAT) test sometime this month, The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) claims in a recent post published by USC China Project Director Gregory Kulacki. Unlike previous tests conducted at the lower earth orbit, this test could be aimed at the medium orbit, at an altitude of 20,000 km above earth