Russia carried out the first successful flight test of a new anti-satellite missile this month, marking a new phase in the global militarization of space. The flight test of Russia’s direct ascent anti-satellite missile, known as Nudol, took place Nov. 18, according to defense officials familiar with reports of the test. It was the first successful test in three attempts, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Russia Conducts Fifth Test of New Anti-Satellite MissileThird successful flight test of satellite-killing weaponBY: Bill Gertz December 21, 2016 5:00 amRussia successfully flight tested a new missile capable of knocking out strategic U.S. communications and navigation satellites, according to Pentagon officials. The test of the PL-19 Nudol missile was carried out Dec. 16 from a base in central Russia, and was monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies. It was the fifth test of the Nudol missile and the third successful flight of a system Moscow has claimed is for use against enemy missiles, said officials familiar with the reports of the launch. The exact location of the flight test was not disclosed. Earlier tests of the missile took place from a facility near Plesetsk, located 500 miles north of Moscow. It could not be learned if the Nudol was sent into space or fired in a sub-orbital trajectory.Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza declined to comment. “We generally don’t comment on other countries’ capabilities,” she said.Earlier tests took place May 24 and Nov. 18, 2015. Both tests were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.The high rate of testing is an indication the program is a military priority and is progressing toward deployment.The new anti-satellite missile is among several new strategic weapons systems being developed by the Russian military. The Nudol is viewed by the Pentagon as a so-called “direct ascent” anti-satellite missile. Russia, however, has sought to mask the missile’s anti-satellite capabilities by claiming the missile is for defense against incoming ballistic missiles.The Pentagon is worried about the development of anti-satellite weapons by both Russia and China. Gen. John Hyten, the commander of Air Force Space Command who was recently promoted to lead Strategic Command, has stated that Russia and China are building space warfare systems that are worrying. “They are developing capabilities that concern us,” Hyten has said.In March, Air Force Lt. Gen. David J. Buck, commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, revealed during House testimony that the Russian military is developing weapons with “counter-space capabilities.” “Russia views U.S. dependency on space as an exploitable vulnerability, and they are taking delite actions to strengthen their counter-space capabilities,” Buck said.Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon strategic arms policymaker, said the current asymmetry between the United States and other nations in anti-satellite capabilities “is of enormous significance.” “Potentially, it could result in our defeat in a high intensity conflict,” Schneider said. “The complete loss of the GPS network, or its serious degradation, would eliminate the effectiveness of all existing long-range conventional strike cruise missiles and would degrade the functioning of many of our precision guided weapons.” Anti-satellite missiles also could be used to knock out communications satellites. “We have begun to take some steps to reduce our reliance on GPS but this will not be near term,” Schneider said.Michaela Dodge, a defense analyst at the Heritage Foundation, said the Russian test highlights the growing threat to space from new weapons. “The test demonstrates the need for the United States to treat space as an increasingly contested environment where access might not be guaranteed as it has been in the past,” she said.“It demonstrates the need to exercise scenarios in which U.S. military might not have a complete access to its complete utilization,” Dodge added. “The test also illustrates the need to protect and diversify U.S. space infrastructure.”U.S. intelligence agencies have estimated that U.S. military operations could be severely disrupted with only two dozen or so anti-satellite attacks. Satellites are used for precision navigation, targeting, and communications and intelligence gathering. The Pentagon is very dependent on satellites for long-range warfare operations, an American military specialty. Both Russia and China have recognized the strategic vulnerability of U.S. dependency on satellites. Anti-satellite missiles are regarded as important asymmetric warfare weapons.Both China and Russia are developing lasers and other directed-energy weapons that can blind or disrupt satellites. Small satellites capable of maneuvering in space and grabbing and crushing satellites also are being developed. Russian generals have mentioned their forces fielding anti-satellite capabilities in public statements, but with few details. For example, Russian Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko, former commander of space forces, has said the S-500 anti-missile system is capable of hitting “low-orbit satellites and space weapons.”In May, Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, was quoted as saying that discussion of “space kamikazes” suggests Moscow is preparing for a conflict in space with the United States.The TASS news agency reported that the A-60, a variation of the IL-76 transport aircraft, has a laser anti-satellite capability. In October, TASS reported that the Nudol is called the A-235 and is being developed to replace the current nuclear-tipped missile defense system ringing Moscow. Missile defense interceptors share characteristics with space-faring satellite killers. Both travel at high rates of speed and require precision targeting and guidance.The United States has no anti-satellite weapons. However, a Navy SM-3 anti-missile interceptor was modified to shoot down a de-orbiting intelligence satellite in 2008, indicating U.S. missile defenses could be used to target foreign satellites.The Defense Intelligence Agency stated in a report to Congress last year that Russia leaders “openly assert that the Russian armed forces have anti-satellite weapons and conduct anti-satellite research.”China conducted a flight test of its new anti-satellite missile in early December. Preparations for the test were first reported by the Free Beacon.The missile was identified as a DN-3 direct ascent missile. That system, like the Russian Nudol, is being developed under cover as a missile-defense weapon. China’s Defense Ministry said the Free Beacon report of test preparations for the DN-3 was “groundless.”
It seems that the writer of the last article does not understand the difference between1) suborbital space2) LEO3) MEO4) GEOI've heard no credible source saying nudol can reach 18Mm (height of Navstar satellites) or 36 Mm, but this article talks about it killing GPS asatellites or US military communication satellites.
Sources: Russia tests anti-satellite weaponBy Jim Sciutto, Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, CNNUpdated 1712 GMT (0112 HKT) December 21, 2016(CNN)Russia has recently tested what is believed to be an anti-satellite weapon, US sources with knowledge of the test told CNN.The US tracked the weapon and it did not create debris, indicating it did not destroy a target, the source said.The Russian test, coming as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to enter the White House next month, could be seen as a provocative demonstration of Moscow's capability in space.Russia has demonstrated the ability to launch anti-satellite weapons in the past, including its Nudol missile.US military officials have expressed concerns about Russia's burgeoning anti-satellite arsenal, as the US has become increasingly dependent on satellites for both military and commercial uses.US officials believe Russia has also deployed what could be kamikaze satellites, known as "Kosmos 2499," which are designed to sidle up to American satellites and, if ordered, destroy or disable them. "We have very good surveillance and intelligence capabilities, so we can see the threats that are being built," Gen. John Hyten, the commander of US Strategic command, told CNN in November. "So we're developing capabilities to defend ourselves."Russia is not alone in the development of these type of weapons. China has conducted similar tests, destroying an old weather satellite in 2007 -- a move analysts saw as indicative of China's growing military capability.The US has also destroyed a satellites in space, obliterating one with a missile in 2008 after American officials said the satellite's orbital decay posed a risk.Capt. Nicholas Mercurio, a spokesman for the command that oversees US space operations, declined to comment on the report of a Russian anti-satellite weapon test.
Three Russian satellites that were sent into low orbit in 2013 are on the move again, and no one knows what they are for, The Daily Beast reports. Having been idle for more than a year, one of the satellites went hundreds of meters off its orbit last month to within 1,200 meters of a piece of a Chinese weather satellite that China smashed in a 2007 anti-satellite rocket test.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., April 15, 2020 —U.S. Space Command is aware and tracking Russia’s direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test April 15.“Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” said Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, USSPACECOM commander and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. “The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies and U.S. interests from hostile acts in space.”Russia’s missile system is capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and comes on the heels of Russia’s on-orbit testing the U.S. highlighted in February, namely COSMOS 2542 and COSMOS 2543. These satellites, which behaved similar to previous Russian satellites that exhibited characteristics of a space weapon, conducted maneuvers near a U.S. Government satellite that would be interpreted as irresponsible and potentially threatening in any other domain.“This test is further proof of Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control proposals designed to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting their counterspace weapons programs,” Raymond said. “Space is critical to all nations and our way of life. The demands on space systems continue in this time of crisis where global logistics, transportation and communication are key to defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.“It is a shared interest and responsibility of all spacefaring nations to create safe, stable and operationally sustainable conditions for space activities, including commercial, civil and national security activities,” Raymond concluded.
As posted last week , when the Nav Warns were issued , two areas came to light.Area B the splash zone , but was area "A" related to the fall area of the booster?As the news gradually breaks , there is no detail about the actual time of the incident. Does anyone have any info please ?
The NOTAM for the first stage was active between 15:00 and 21:00 UTC, and the NOTAM for the splashdown over the Arctic Ocean was between 15:15 and 15:21. Not sure why there's a discrepancy there, but that would put the launch sometime around 15:00 UTC today.
Based on comments by @nktpnd and @M_R_Thomp I conclude this was a flight test of the Nudol' antisatellite launch vehicle from Plesetsk at about 1500 UTC, probably with a dummy kill vehicle that fell in the Laptev Sea. Likely that no actual intercept was carried out
If they do do a real intercept in future (hope they don't), one might first expect launch of a target satellite in very low orbit (like the Indians did). No good candidates right now. Kosmos-2525/EMKA is low enough but they still seem to be using it for its recon mission
https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/1250538503768768518QuoteIf they do do a real intercept in future (hope they don't), one might first expect launch of a target satellite in very low orbit (like the Indians did). No good candidates right now. Kosmos-2525/EMKA is low enough but they still seem to be using it for its recon mission
Can anybody guide me why would Russia be better off NOT doing a real satellite intercept in future? Is it due to littering the lower earth orbit with debris or political reasons?
