19 September 2011

David Axe, Wired Danger Room: “Secret Sats, Giant Rockets: U.S. Unveils Space War Arsenal”

David Axe, Secret Sats, Giant Rockets: U.S. Unveils Space War Arsenal,” Danger Room, Wired.com, 19 September 2011.

…the U.S. government revealed new and formerly secret space initiatives that underscore America’s continuing orbital dominance. NASA announced plans for the biggest-ever rocket, set to launch in six years. Meanwhile, the hush-hush National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), keeper of America’s most secretive surveillance satellites, used the occasion of its 50th birthday to declassify its ongoing orbital eavesdropping campaign over Afghanistan.

Far from retreating from space, Washington is doubling down on its orbital force structure. The risk is this: with more and more of its critical capabilities packed into Earth’s limited orbit, America is increasingly vulnerable to a space counter-attack by China or Russia. …

Satellites like those unveiled by NRO boss Bruce Carlson during his agency’s birthday celebrations. The formerly tight-lipped Carlson told reporters that the NRO has launched six new spacecraft in just seven months — “the best we’ve done in about 25 years.” …

But Carlson is worried. The more satellites he puts in to orbit alongside Russian spacecraft and a growing number of Chinese sats, the more crowded it gets up there — and the more potential there is for catastrophic accidents or even a deliberate attack on American satellites. “It’s becoming more competitive,” the NRO chief warned.

Naval War College analyst Andrew Erickson shares Carlson’s concern. A few weeks back, we reported that Erickson was advocating a U.S. withdrawal from space in favor of better-protected aerial systems. We misunderstood. In fact, Erickson wants Washington to safeguard its spacecraft and also deploy back-up airborne systems. “The United States, and particularly the U.S. military, should … NOT remove assets from space or otherwise decrease its presence there,” Erickson wrote. …

Secret sats, giant rockets and sneaky robo-shuttles are not the hallmarks of a world power retreating from orbit. …

For the full text of the post referenced here, see “The U.S. Must Continue to Use Space and Can ‘Win without Fighting’ There—It’s Just Not a Panacea, a Sanctuary, or a Desirable Battlefield.