Could A Military Space Race Ruin It For Everyone?

(Hat Tip: LiftPort Staff Blog)

They say space is the final frontier. But with the current direction of our species, space might also become the violent frontier. With the latest testing of China's satellite destroyer, the militarization of cosmos may be the fuel that drives the new space race.

(Aviation Now) U. S. intelligence agencies believe China performed a successful anti-satellite (asat) weapons test at more than 500 mi. altitude Jan. 11 destroying an aging Chinese weather satellite target with a kinetic kill vehicle launched on board a ballistic missile. [...]

Details emerging from space sources indicate that the Chinese Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C) polar orbit weather satellite launched in 1999 was attacked by an asat system launched from or near the Xichang Space Center.

The attack is believe to have occurred as the weather satellite flew at 530 mi. altitude 4 deg. west of Xichang located in Sichuan province. Xichang is a major Chinese space launch center.

Although the US and Canada are frowning on China's latest test, this maneuver by China may be what our planet needs to re-inspire humanity to revisit the heavens above.

Despite the fact that many people will see this as another sign that the end of the world is near, there is nothing like death to motivate an individual to action, as well as a nation (something the previous cold war demonstrated).

Although peace is a powerful motivator for space, it sadly may not be able to sustain global interest for the long term. If China's latest maneuver is a signal to the world they are an upcoming space power to be reckoned with, then the US will have to find innovative ways to transport her citizens to the moon--and beyond.



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