Space
UK Military Warns About Risk Of Nuclear Attacks From Space In New Report
As an increasingly ambitious China and Russia develop stronger weapons capabilities including hypersonic missiles that can hit a target on the other side of the planet after briefly exiting earth’s atmosphere, it’s not surprise that more western governments are reexamining their capabilities – both offensive and defensive – along humanity’s “final frontier” – space.
In in a new report published by Britain’s Ministry of Defense this week, authorities warn that aggressors could potentially develop capabilities to launch an “exo-atmospheric nuclear strike” that could result in a civilization-ending – or “permanent kill” to use their terms – scenario.
The report goes so far as to claim that a government’s ability to preserve the qualities of “daily life” for its citizens will in the future be dependent on control of space – a battle in which Britan’s “adversaries” are rapidly gaining advantage.
“Daily life is reliant on space and, for the Armed Forces, space underpins vital, battle-winning technologies. From space we can deliver global command & control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision navigation, and more. Adversaries understand this reliance and are increasingly able to exploit vulnerabilities, threatening our strategic stability and security.”
The only means of protecting against such a ghastly eventuality long term will require close cooperation with Britain’s allies to establish dominance throughout Earth’s orbit, and beyond.
While maintaining control in the “space domain” is critical, the “constant, aggressive” state-power competition to establish dominance in space creates vulnerabilities for Britain and its “way of life”. The nature of threats range from cyber attacks and electromagnetic EMP-like assaults to an “exo-atmospheric nuclear attack” – that is, a nuclear missile guided by satellite, or even one launched from space.
$ads={2}
Although the US Space Force launched by President Trump isn’t mentioned, the report concludes that “broadening and deepening multinational cooperation” is the UK’s only way to permanently secure its security priorities when it comes to space.
Beyond that, the report doesn’t offer any examples of defensive technologies that the British might use to defend themselves, although it does offer a commitment to “understand, design and field technologies to protect and defend UK interests” in the event of a space-based war. However, it does note that Britain plans to invest in space-based reconnaissance, from investing more than £5 billion ($6.8 billion) in ‘Skynet’ surveillance satellites to deepening Britain’s involvement in the US-led ‘Olympic Defender’ space defense program.
The report included a special section warning about Russia’s anti-satellite capabilities as well as anti-satellite missile tests that the report claimed spread debris across low earth orbit (of course, the report fails to mention similar tests carried out by the US and its ally India).
Examples of International Threats – Russia Russia has conducted a number of on-orbit activities that have drawn attention and concern from allies and partners across the globe. These include contesting the electromagnetic spectrum, targeting the vital link between satellites and ground segments, as well as satellites in orbit that can release smaller secondary and even tertiary devices (like a Russian doll), with the possibility that some may have a destructive capability. Twice in 2020, Russia continued with its series of test-launches of Direct Ascent Anti-Satellite weapons and in 2021 Russia conducted a destructive test that resulted in at least 1500 trackable pieces of debris in low earth orbit that was condemned by many.
“This destructive anti-satellite missile test by Russia shows a complete disregard for the security, safety and sustainability of space. The debris resulting from this test will remain in orbit, putting satellites and human spaceflight at risk, for years to come.”
And one for China as well.
“China has a robust direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) programme, multi-use capabilities on orbit that are necessary for Co-orbital ASAT weapons, and widely used electronic and cyber counterspace capabilities.”
“China continues to conduct tests of its operational… DA-ASAT system. However, China no longer needs to use kinetic tests to prove that its DA-ASAT capabilities can threaten any… satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and likely Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) as well.”
Whatever it does, the report’s conclusion is pretty definitive: Britain and it’s allies need to step up their planning and investment, because another, much more decisive “space race” has just begun.
Read the full report below:
20220120-UK Defence Space S… by Joseph Adinolfi
(Article by Tyler Durden republished from Zerohedge.com)
Recently, a group of experts from Harvard University, led by physics
professor Avi Loeb, announced the possible presence of alien space
debris in Earth’s orbit, reports the Daily Star.
Leading
space research expert Professor Loeb is confident that the discovery of
such “interstellar objects could help expand our knowledge of possible
alien civilizations and technologies. A team of scientists is conducting
research to confirm that some of the objects in our orbit may be
connected to other star systems.
During an interview with Live
Science, Professor Loeb explained that these objects could enter the
solar system from interstellar space, defying Jupiter’s gravitational
pull and occupying limited orbits around the sun.
Some of them may
have technological origins similar to the probes sent by mankind into
interstellar space, such as Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, Pioneer 10 and 11
and New Horizons.
However,
despite these interesting assumptions, Professor Loeb did not specify
what specific objects he was talking about. In his research report, he
notes that there could be “a significant number” of potentially
detectable objects in Earth’s orbit.
To confirm their assumptions,
the team of scientists uses computer simulations and the Vera Rubin
Observatory (Chile) with a high-resolution camera of 3.2 billion pixels.
This will allow for regular observations of the Southern sky and the
possibility of detecting several captured objects about the size of a
football field.
It is assumed that these interstellar objects passed through the
boundaries of the solar system and may carry unique information about
other civilizations and their technologies. If we could confirm the
origin of these objects, the mysteries that open before us, this would
be a real breakthrough in space exploration.
Professor Loeb
expresses hope that the new research will not only help expand our
knowledge of extraterrestrial technologies, but may also lead to the
discovery of new alien civilizations . Answers to such questions can be
of global significance and influence our understanding of the place of
mankind in the Universe.
And
while there are still many questions and assumptions, the study by
Professor Loeb and his team opens a new chapter in space exploration.
Each new discovery can be the key to deciphering the mysteries of the
cosmos and the possibility of encountering alien life forms.
Betelgeuse, a red giant on the brink of death, continues to show
unusual behavior. After the Great Blackout, which occurred in late 2019
and early 2020, the star became unusually bright. It is now the seventh
brightest star in the sky, while it normally ranks tenth. This has led
to speculation that Betelgeuse is preparing to explode in a
spectacularly large supernova.
However, scientists believe it’s too early to tell, and it’s likely
that this behavior is due to ongoing fluctuations after the Great
Blackout of 2019, and the star will return to normal within a decade.
Betelgeuse is one of the most interesting stars in the sky. It is
about 700 light-years from Earth and is a red giant in the last stage of
its life. It is also an unusual star for a red giant because it was
previously a monster blue-white O-type star, the most massive class of
stars.
Betelgeuse has changed its spectral type because it has almost
exhausted its hydrogen reserves. It now burns helium into carbon and
oxygen and has expanded to a gigantic size: about 764 times the size of
the Sun and about 16.5 to 19 times its mass.
Eventually it will run out of fuel to burn, become a supernova, eject
its outer material, and its core will collapse into a neutron star.
Before the Great Blackout, Betelgeuse also had periodic fluctuations
in brightness. The longest of these cycles is about 5.9 years and the
other is 400 days. But it seems that the Great Blackout caused changes
in these oscillations.
A new paper by astrophysicist Morgan McLeod of the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has shown that the 400-day
cycle appears to have been halved. This pulsational cycle is probably
caused by expansion and contraction within the star. According to
simulations carried out by MacLeod and his colleagues, the convective
flow inside Betelgeuse may have risen and become material that separates
from the star.
-
Ghosts10 months agoZozo: The Ouija Board Demon
-
Space8 months agoScientists claim to have found the answer what existed before the Universe
-
Ghosts10 months agoJumbee: Demons of the Caribbean
-
General10 months agoThe War for the Planet Between Humans and Neanderthals Lasted 100,000 Years
-
General9 months agoWhere did ships from the Middle Ages come from in the US deserts?