Moving satellites have very high kinetic energy and momentum. Kinetic kills and lasersīy far the most obvious method of interfering with a satellite is a solid projectile. In fact, many military services on Earth now depend on space technology to work. Space-based electronic warfare is likely to become an increasing concern for military planners. But if a “hostile” satellite nearby were to deliberately direct broadband radio transmissions at the target satellite, then communications could be completely disrupted.Ī US Air Force Delta II booster with a GPS satellite.
Satellites are thoroughly tested for self generated radio noise before going into space. This is a little like trying to spot the light from a candle against the glare of car headlights. By swamping a radio receiver with, effectively, radio noise, one can obscure the reception of genuine signals and render the system inoperative. The use of “ radio jamming” to disrupt radar and communications dates back to World War II. You could potentially make such an attack look like an accident and deny involvement. Such a concept deployed on satellites would constitute a “ directed-energy weapon”, enabling nations to disable other countries’ satellites without creating large clouds of orbital debris. In fact, such concepts have been tested before by the police as a means of bringing a speeding car to a halt by disabling electrical devices on the vehicle.
Electronic warfareīut how would sabotage and warfare happen exactly? One method involves firing an intense beam of microwave radiation at an object. This follows an announcement that the US will launch a space force in 2018. To the moon and beyond 4: What's the point of going back to the moon?Īnother development is France’s recent announcement that it will build “bodyguard” satellites armed with either machine guns or lasers.