Anti-Satellite Weapons
Commercial satellites have become an integral part of civil, strategic, and military infrastructures globally. They enable everything from smartphone applications to logistical planning for supply chain management and even disaster preparedness. These satellites are prime targets for adversarial forces not only for military value, but also the economic disruption of their loss.
Types of Weapons
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Direct Ascent
Weapons launched from the Earth’s surface from land, sea or aircraft to destroy a satellite.
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Co-Orbital
Weapons that are placed into orbit designed to maneuver towards a selected target and attack.
The primary defense against attacks has been a reliance on distance from earth and volume of assets. Multiple nations have performed anti-satellite weapons testing, demonstrating this defense is inadequate. As these technologies improve the threat of anti-satellite weapons substantially increases the vulnerability of this global infrastructure.