September 22, 2006 :: Defense News :: News
Defense News reports that China has fired high-powered, ground-based lasers at U.S. reconnaissance satellites in an attempt to blind the spacecraft and keep them from taking pictures of Chinese territory. The article quotes Pentagon officials who refused to state how many times the lasers have been tested against U.S. satellites, but confirmed that several firings have taken place over the past few years. According to one source, China has the ability to “blind” satellites passing over its territory but not “disable” them, given the massive amount of energy required to shoot a laser through the dense lower atmosphere and reach a fast-moving satellite. In any event, China’s burgeoning anti-satellite capabilities underscore the severe vulnerabilities of U.S. reconnaissance satellites, and indeed the entire U.S. space network. “The Chinese are very strategically minded and are extremely active in this arena,” said one senior former Pentagon official. “They really believe all the stuff written in the 1980s about the high frontier and are looking at symmetrical and asymmetrical means to offset American dominance in space.” The Pentagon, however, has kept largely quiet regarding China’s anti-satellite efforts, in line with the Bush administration’s policy of maintaining cordial relations with Beijing, which is a leading trade partner and seen as key to dealing with rogue threats such as North Korea and Iran.
(Article)
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