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The Hidden History of the Soviet Satellite-Killer -- Popular Mechanics
As soon as the Space Age got under way, the Soviet Union was trying to build antisatellite weapons—and kept trying for decades.
Half a century ago, on Nov. 1, 1963, the Soviet Union launched the first prototype of the "killer" satellite—what we would call today an antisatellite system, or ASAT. Officially announced as Polyot-1 (or Flight-1), this highly maneuverable spacecraft was intended to test whether the Soviets could approach an "enemy" satellite and blow it in smithereens. This mission set off a decades-long race to develop and deploy offensive weapons in space that culminated in the 1980s with Ronald Reagan's famous Star Wars program.
Although a nuclear standoff between East and West subsided soon thereafter and the Cold War thawed, the danger of weaponization of space flared up again recently with the emergence of new space powers, such as China and Iran.
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My Comment: I love reading up on the history of weapons programs .... but this old Soviet program is news to me.
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