By David Axe
The launch of the X-37 marks a hike in the space stakes, says David Axe. Will Asian countries see it as a military threat?
It was a space launch to change the world. On January 11, 2007, a solid-fuelled rocket lifted off from Xichang Space Center in central China, a non-explosive ‘kill vehicle’ fitted to its tip. Five hundred miles above the earth, the now-separated kill vehicle struck an 8-year-old Chinese weather satellite, pulverizing it and leaving behind a cloud of some 1,000 large pieces of debris.
The unannounced Chinese launch was the first full-scale test of an anti-satellite system since the US Air Force's 1985 demonstration of a satellite-killing missile launched by an F-15 fighter. And the global response to China’s move was swift and vociferous, with Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States condemning the intercept.
‘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 Gordon Johndroe from the US National Security Council at the time.
A year later, the launch reverberated in the most important US election in a generation, when presidential candidate Barack Obama made opposition to such weaponry part of his platform. ‘Obama opposes the stationing of weapons in space and the development of anti-satellite weapons,’ his campaign asserted. ‘He believes the United States must show leadership by engaging other nations in discussions of how best to stop the slow slide towards a new battlefield.’
Yet just two years into the Obama presidency and it’s clear that these noble sentiments aren’t being matched by US deeds.
On April 22, the US Air Force launched into orbit the world's most sophisticated robotic spacecraft, one whose design counters China's anti-satellite capability—and goes a step further. The X-37B, built by Boeing, could also be used to spy on and even disable other nations’ satellites, all without them necessarily knowing that it’s even happening. With the X-37, the US raised the stakes in the phase of the space race that China began three years ago.
Space Inspector
The multi-billion-dollar X-37, in development since the mid-1990s, is a re-usable, unmanned spacecraft that enters orbit atop a standard Air Force heavy rocket and re-enters the atmosphere as a glider. The new craft is similar in layout to the manned Space Shuttle but only quarter the size—just 30 feet from tip to tail.
‘The primary objectives of the X-37 is [testing] a new batch of re-usable technologies for America’s future, plus learning and demonstrating the concept of operations for re-usable experimental payloads,’ Gary Payton, Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs, told the media in April. ‘Take a payload up, spend up to 270 days on orbit. They’ll run experiments to see if the new technology works, then bring it all back home and inspect it to see what was really going on in space. So this is a new way for the Air Force to conduct experiments and we’re really excited about that.’
Photo Credit: NASA
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Malik Endsley
good job on the info
Guy Fawkes
So while the US wastes trillions on wars and useless weapons, China is busy building the real weapon of mass destruction, a sound economy. No mention of the cost of this, odds are its huge. Also you can bet many if not most of the key components were made in China.
Steve
If this thing is as maneuverable as suggested, maybe ,just maybe, we are actually tagging their satellites with a device to immobilize it on command, maybe just temporary,make it look like a glitch? Not an actual weapon per-se? So this thing is in place,just in case we need to blind them just flip a switch.
Garry Perrin
…Washington could quickly loft a replacement into orbit.
Totally unrealistic…
John
What makes this craft anymore of a threat than say the shuttle program. Every country that has the capability of spying is. This notion of America wanting the world be real about it would you want it. All countries are trying their own things plus whatever they can steal from other countries. In today’s world all countries should be fighting the terrorist of the world. I see that even the great defender of terrorist organization’s (Iran) can’t trust all they sleep with. They are in denial and still blame the west & Israel. WAKE UP IRAN WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND maybe some infidels may fly an airplane into a building near you stay tuned. China to care about what they think of anything the U.S. is doing FREE YOUR PEOPLE. The only reason they ran that guy over with a tank was to save on amunition.
destiny
I think this is cool…yes its an unmanned spaceship….what does it do?…we are at war with china. Not a immature one like guns or missals. An economic one… They have stole a lot of data and secretes from the USA and Russia. we need to know how to do things. This requires secrete projects.. scientific in nature… a must for the future… I rather not be out of date when we need to leave earth because of over population in the next 500years…where is china new real estates? MARs or the moon..
rockne1865
The only way the US should share their Military Space Tech is if the rest of the world lays down its Arms and embraces human rights! this includes Terrorists. At least the US is not blowing up Satellites in orbit filling the orbit with junk endangering other Satellites! The US Broke 1 up as it was falling so it would burn up!