Satellite Wars: Endangered Birds -- The Economist
Space technology: Concern over anti-satellite weapons is changing the way satellites are designed, built and launched.
IN JUNE the US Strategic Command, an arm of America’s Department of Defence, began operating a spy satellite called TacSat-3. It can see objects on the ground as small as four metres across, and its “hyperspectral” imaging system (which combines visible with infra-red light) can distinguish between various types of metal, rock and other materials. The results can then be beamed directly to soldiers on the ground, providing detailed information about the terrain and nearby targets. Being able to get precise, timely information from a satellite (or “bird”) in this way is of great military value, and not just to ground troops. America’s forthcoming “Prompt Global Strike” non-nuclear hypersonic missiles will be able to hit almost any spot on earth in less than an hour—provided excellent satellite data is available.
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My Comment: Smaller spy satellites and cheaper to build .... hmmmm .... will this make the cost benefit of an anti-satellite program no longer feasible?
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