U.S. condems China satellite-killer test

[Martin]

Uh o....


http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/0....jezg0oda.html

US condemns China satellite-killer test

Jan 18 12:53 PM US/Eastern

The United States, Australia and Canada have expressed concern to China over Beijing's successful test in space last week of a satellite-killing weapon, the White House said.

"The United States believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," said national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"We and other countries have expressed our concern to the Chinese," Johndroe said.

A senior White House official, requesting anonymity, said that Britain, Japan and South Korea were expected to express their concerns to China soon.

The official confirmed a report in Aviation Week magazine that US spy agencies have concluded that China conducted a successful test of a satellite-killing weapon on January 11, knocking out an aging Chinese weather satellite with a "kinetic kill vehicle" launched on board a ballistic missile.

The impact occurred at more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth.

[DansDarkSide]

That's crazy.

Cheney callin' `em on it...

Cheney Criticizes China's Arms Buildup
Feb. 23, 2007 - Vice President **** Cheney said Friday that China's recent anti-satellite weapons test and a rapid military buildup were "not consistent" with its stated aim of a peaceful rise as a global power.

Speaking in Sydney, Cheney also expressed wariness about North Korea's commitment to a landmark deal announced last week on ending the country's nuclear programs. As anti-war demonstrators clashed with police outside the hotel where Cheney was speaking, the vice president also expressed gratitude to Australia for sending troops to the Iraq war, which he said must be won or terrorists would be emboldened worldwide.

Cheney praised China for playing an "especially important" role in the six-nation negotiations that resulted in the North Korea deal, under which the North is to seal its main nuclear reactor and allow international inspections in exchange for fuel oil. "Other actions by the Chinese government send a different message," Cheney told the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, a private organization that promotes ties between the two countries.

"Last month's anti-satellite test, China's continued fast-paced military buildup are less constructive and are not consistent with China's stated goal of a peaceful rise," he said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment on Cheney's remarks. Many government offices were closed Friday for the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday.

MORE

See also:

China says US 'nosy neighbour'
Thursday, 1 March 2007, China has hit back at the US over calls for greater transparency in Beijing's military spending.

It comes a week after US Vice-President **** Cheney said China's military build-up and satellite tests were at odds with its stated peaceful aims.

A spokesman for the foreign ministry in Beijing accused the US of acting like a nosy neighbour. China's policies were aimed only at defence, said Qin Gang, rejecting claims of opaque spending policies.

"What's your response if your neighbour keeps peeking into your house through a crack in the door and yelling 'Open the door, let's see what's inside'?" Mr Qin said. "Will you call the police?"

Limited praise

[waltky]

Gates talkin' to China...

Gates to press China on Iran nukes
4 Nov. 2007 -- Gates expected to press Chinese over Iran acquiring nuclear capabilities; He will probably push China to better explain its anti-satellite test

Robert Gates, making his first visit to China as U.S. defense secretary, is expected to press the Chinese to do more to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. Before he left Saturday for the trip, Gates made it clear that he is pursuing a closer alliance with China, and said he doesn't see the communist giant as a military threat.

But at the same time, senior defense officials said the Pentagon is still frustrated by China's failure to be more open about its military ambitions. And Gates will probably push China to better explain its anti-satellite test early this year. In January, a Chinese missile shattered a defunct Chinese weather satellite, drawing immediate criticism from the U.S. and other countries, who questioned China's commitment to peaceful development in space. Since then, U.S. officials have struggled to get better answers from the Chinese about it.

Both the U.S. and China are touting the Gates visit as a major event, aimed at improving the two countries' military relationship and building trust between them. In a series of annual reports, the Pentagon has voiced growing concern about China's increased military might and its reluctance to reveal why its annual defense budget has ballooned in recent years.

China raised its military budget by 17.8 percent to about $45 billion this year, the largest annual increase in more than a decade. But U.S. officials believe the spending is even greater than that, and have repeatedly called for greater transparency by the Chinese. Derek Mitchell, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it appears Gates is taking a different approach to his China visit than his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, took.

MORE

[waltky]

Heads up!...

Dead satellite to hit Earth in early March
Thurs., Feb. 7, 2008 WASHINGTON - U.S. officials do not want secret imaging sensor to fall into wrong hands

A dead U.S. spy satellite in a deteriorating orbit is expected to hit the Earth the first week of March, officials said Thursday. It is not known where on Earth the satellite will hit. But officials familiar with the situation say about half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft is expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and will scatter debris — some of it potentially hazardous — over several hundred miles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The satellite is outfitted with thrusters, small engines used to position it in space, that contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine. Hydrazine can cause harm to anyone who contacts it.

The satellite, known by its military designation US 193, was launched in December 2006. It lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor. U.S. officials do not want this equipment to fall into the wrong hands. "The Chinese and the Russians spend an enormous amount of time trying to steal American technology," said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. "To have our most sophisticated radar intelligence satellite — have big pieces of it fall into their hands — would not be our preferred outcome."

Where it lands will be difficult to predict until the satellite descends to about 59 miles above the Earth and enters the atmosphere. It will then begin to burn up, with flares visible from the ground, said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. From that point on, he said, it will take about 30 minutes to fall. In the past 50 years about 17,000 manmade objects have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia. In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

More Dead satellite to hit Earth in early March - Space - MSNBC.com

[waltky]

U.S. to Shoot Down Spy Satellite: Don't Want it to Show Up On e-Bay...

U.S. Officials Say Dead Satellite Will Be Shot Down
Feb. 14, 2008 - Disabled Satellite Expected to Hit Earth the First Week of March; Pentagon plans to shoot down bus-size disabled spy satellite hurtling to Earth.

The Pentagon, under orders from President Bush, is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March, the White House said Thursday. U.S. officials said that the option preferred by the administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that Bush made his decision during the past week and asked experts to come up with a way to destoy the satellite. He made the decision to shoot it down because the satellite was carrying the rocket fuel hydrazine, Perino said. Initally the administration believed that the danger from the falling satellite did not pose a large problem, but decided it was best to shoot it down when experts decided that the unused hydrazine did pose a danger.

Asked about the matter, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "We have been looking at ways to mitigate the possible risk to human lives and to demonstrate our continuing commitment to safe and responsible space operations." The disabled satellite is expected to hit the Earth the first week of March. Officials said the Navy would likely shoot it down before then, using a special missile modified for the task.

Other details about the missile and the targeting were not immediately available. But the decision involves several U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. One of the main goals of the satellite's destruction is to prevent any sensitive equipment from falling into the wrong hands.

More ABC News: U.S. to Shoot Down Spy Satellite: Don't Want It to Show Up on eBay