A Space & astronomy forum. SpaceBanter.com

Go Back   Home » SpaceBanter.com forum » Space Science » Policy
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Indian ASAT



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 3rd 10, 09:21 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Allen Thomson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 372
Default Indian ASAT


http://www.zeenews.com/news592334.html


'India readying weapon to destroy enemy satellites'
Updated on Sunday, January 03, 2010, 16:25 IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Indian defence scientists are readying a weapons
system to neutralise enemy satellites operating in low-earth orbit, a
top defence scientist said here on Sunday.

"India is putting together building blocks of technology that could be
used to neutralise enemy satellites," Defence Research and Development
Organisation Director General VK Saraswat told reporters on the
sidelines of the 97th Indian Science Congress.

However, he added that the defence scientists have not planned any
tests but have started planning such technology which could be used to
leapfrog to build a weapon in case the country needed it.

Saraswat, who is also the Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister, said
the scientists were planning to build the weapon which would have the
capacity to hit and destroy satellites in low-earth orbit and polar
orbit.

Usually, satellites in such orbits are used for network centric
warfare and neutralising such spacecraft would deny enemy access to
its space assets.

"We are working to ensure space security and protect our satellites.

At the same time we are also working on how to deny the enemy access
to its space assets," he said.

To achieve such capabilities, a kill vehicle needs to be developed
and that process is being carried out under the Ballistic Missile
Defence programme.

"Basically, these are deterrence technologies and quite certainly many
of these technologies will not be used. I hope they are not used,"
Saraswat said.

In January 2007, China had demonstrated its capability to destroy
satellites by conducting an anti-satellite test.

It had launched a missile that blew to smithereens an ageing weather
satellite Fengyun 1C orbiting at a distance of 500 miles away from the
earth.

Saraswat said the DRDO is building an advanced version of its
interceptor missile with a range of 120-140 km.

The missile interceptor is expected to be test fired in September.

Space security is going to be a major issue in the future and India
should not be left behind in this area, the defence scientist said.

PTI
  #2  
Old January 5th 10, 05:50 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Pat Flannery
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18,465
Default Indian ASAT

Allen Thomson wrote:
Note the part about lasers for imaging satellites.


That's pretty clever; using the same technique as a laser-guided bomb
against a satellite.
I was going to say you would have weather constraints regarding being
able to illuminate it with the laser from the ground, but the laser
could be put into a jet aircraft as well, and illuminate it from high
altitude, above the clouds.

Pat
  #3  
Old January 6th 10, 12:25 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Allen Thomson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 372
Default Indian ASAT

On Jan 5, 10:50*am, Pat Flannery wrote:

That's pretty clever; using the same technique as a laser-guided bomb
against a satellite.



I'm not sure what they're talking about, but terrestrially-based semi-
active guidance is certainly a possibility.

The thing about ASAT is that there are so many ways to do it.
  #4  
Old January 6th 10, 03:02 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Pat Flannery
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18,465
Default Indian ASAT

Allen Thomson wrote:
On Jan 5, 10:50 am, Pat Flannery wrote:

That's pretty clever; using the same technique as a laser-guided bomb
against a satellite.



I'm not sure what they're talking about, but terrestrially-based semi-
active guidance is certainly a possibility.

The thing about ASAT is that there are so many ways to do it.


The way I read it, the laser will hit the target satellite while its in
the the shadow of the Earth, then the ASAT will be launched and home in
on the laser light reflected off of it.
This should be a very workable system, as if all you want to do is light
up the satellite with a laser rather than damage it, your laser beam can
be of fairly low power.
As far as countermeasures to this system, the satellite could either
eject reflective decoys and hope the ASAT would home on one of those, or
shoot out some sort of gas or dust cloud that would get between it and
the ASAT (or between it and the laser) so the reflected laser light
couldn't be seen or is diffused enough so the ASAT can't home on it.
Also, if the satellite is equipped with laser detectors (I'm fairly sure
our reconsats are after the Soviet attempts to blind their optics with
lasers) it could fire thrusters and move, so as to make the laser lose
its tracking lock on it.

Pat
  #5  
Old January 6th 10, 03:20 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Rick Jones[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 587
Default Indian ASAT

Pat Flannery wrote:
The way I read it, the laser will hit the target satellite while its in
the the shadow of the Earth, then the ASAT will be launched and home in
on the laser light reflected off of it.


That gives your adversary O(12) hours of passes before nightfall
doesn't it (a bit of handwaving)? India does have a non-trivial Navy
and can project power via it, but I don't think anyone is asserting
they are yet a "global" Navy, so one would presume this is going to be
something happening over Indian (controlled) territory.

This should be a very workable system, as if all you want to do is
light up the satellite with a laser rather than damage it, your
laser beam can be of fairly low power.


As far as countermeasures to this system, the satellite could either
eject reflective decoys and hope the ASAT would home on one of
those, or shoot out some sort of gas or dust cloud that would get
between it and the ASAT (or between it and the laser) so the
reflected laser light couldn't be seen or is diffused enough so the
ASAT can't home on it.


A satellite surrounded by a cloud of dust isn't generally going to be
very useful will it?

Also, if the satellite is equipped with laser detectors (I'm fairly sure
our reconsats are after the Soviet attempts to blind their optics with
lasers) it could fire thrusters and move, so as to make the laser lose
its tracking lock on it.


Changing the orbit of the opponent's satellite isn't quite as good as
destroying or disabling it, but it still is at least a slight "win"
yes?

rick jones
--
firebug n, the idiot who tosses a lit cigarette out his car window
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...
  #6  
Old January 6th 10, 09:20 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Anthony Frost
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 253
Default Indian ASAT

In message tatelephone
Pat Flannery wrote:

Rick Jones wrote:


As far as countermeasures to this system, the satellite could either
eject reflective decoys and hope the ASAT would home on one of
those, or shoot out some sort of gas or dust cloud that would get
between it and the ASAT (or between it and the laser) so the
reflected laser light couldn't be seen or is diffused enough so the
ASAT can't home on it.


A satellite surrounded by a cloud of dust isn't generally going to be
very useful will it?


After the intercept is thwarted, the satellite could fire its thrusters
to maneuver free of its dust cloud or decoys.


So on its first pass over an area of interest the satellite gets
illuminated by the targetting laser and ejects countermeasures. No
interceptor gets launched. Next pass same happens. Third pass no
countermeasures left (just how many decoys and bags of dust are you
going to include in your payload?) and kablooie.

The target can't wait for signs of an interceptor launch before
deploying the countermeasures if it wants them to disperse far enough to
be effective.

Anthony

  #7  
Old January 6th 10, 09:31 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Pat Flannery
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18,465
Default Indian ASAT

Rick Jones wrote:

That gives your adversary O(12) hours of passes before nightfall
doesn't it (a bit of handwaving)? India does have a non-trivial Navy
and can project power via it, but I don't think anyone is asserting
they are yet a "global" Navy, so one would presume this is going to be
something happening over Indian (controlled) territory.


I assume you figure out what the satellite is and what it's up to before
you consider shooting it down, so a time delay of a day or two would be
expected after it is launched.
I suspect that the system would originally be designed to destroy the
satellite while it's over Indian territory, using a direct ascent
interceptor vehicle, unless they intend to mount both the laser and
homing interceptor on a ship, which certainly could be done, although it
probably would be more complex and time consuming to develop.
In fact, you would get better target illumination if the laser and
launch point of the interceptor missile were close together, as the beam
would be reflected more directly back towards at the ascending
interceptor missile's homing head.

This should be a very workable system, as if all you want to do is
light up the satellite with a laser rather than damage it, your
laser beam can be of fairly low power.


As far as countermeasures to this system, the satellite could either
eject reflective decoys and hope the ASAT would home on one of
those, or shoot out some sort of gas or dust cloud that would get
between it and the ASAT (or between it and the laser) so the
reflected laser light couldn't be seen or is diffused enough so the
ASAT can't home on it.


A satellite surrounded by a cloud of dust isn't generally going to be
very useful will it?


After the intercept is thwarted, the satellite could fire its thrusters
to maneuver free of its dust cloud or decoys.


Also, if the satellite is equipped with laser detectors (I'm fairly sure
our reconsats are after the Soviet attempts to blind their optics with
lasers) it could fire thrusters and move, so as to make the laser lose
its tracking lock on it.


Changing the orbit of the opponent's satellite isn't quite as good as
destroying or disabling it, but it still is at least a slight "win"
yes?


If it's a reconsat, it then means both the owner and the country its
targeted on have to re-figure its orbit to determine when and where it
will pass overhead in the future... unless it just fires it thrusters
again to put it back into its original orbit.
Apparently, China has used a ground-based laser to blind one of our
reconsats already:
http://defensetech.org/2006/09/25/ch...r-vs-u-s-sats/

Pat

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Gay Indian? NO G=EMC^2 Glazier[_1_] Misc 0 July 2nd 07 11:35 AM
Advice on Indian cooking needed bobandcarole[_11_] Misc 7 January 19th 07 04:51 PM
Atlantis was situated in the Indian Ocean? [email protected] Astronomy Misc 0 October 24th 06 03:17 PM
Indian view of Chinese milspace Allen Thomson Policy 0 January 6th 04 02:54 PM
ISRO asked to put Indian in space Rusty B Policy 0 December 17th 03 08:34 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 SpaceBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.