2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test

Largest field of space debris in history January 2024 On 11 January 2007, China conducted an anti-satellite missile test. A Chinese weather satellite—the FY-1C (COSPAR 1999-025A) polar orbit satellite of the Fengyun series, at an altitude of 860 km mi, with a mass of 960 kgJohnson Nicholas The characteristics and consequences of the break-up of the Fengyun-1C spacecraft 4 March 2008 Acta Astronautica https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576507003281 live 128-135 22 September 2026—was destroyed by a kinetic kill vehicle traveling with a speed of 8 km/s mph in the opposite directionhttp://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/tech_talk/2007/01/is_chinas_satellite_killer_a_t.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080915144509/http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org/tech_talk/2007/01/is_chinas_satellite_killer_a_t.html dead Is China's Satellite Killer a Threat? (Tech Talk) 15 September 2008 (see Head-on engagement). It was launched with a multistage solid-fuel missile from Xichang Satellite Launch Center or nearby. Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine first reported the test on 17 January 2007.Covault Craig Aviation Week & Space Technology McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Chinese Test Anti-Satellite Weapon http://www.aviationweek.com:80/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/CHI01177.xml 29 November 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20070128075259/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news%2FCHI01177.xml 28 January 2007 17 January 2007 dead The report was confirmed on 18 January 2007 by a United States National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson.BBC News (2007). Concern over China's missile test. Retrieved 20 January 2007. The Chinese government did not publicly acknowledge that the test had occurred until 23 January 2007 when the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming the test.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6289519.stm China admits satellite shot down BBC News 23 January 2007 23 January 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110129150319/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6289519.stm 29 January 2011 live China claims it formally notified the US, Japan and other countries about the test in advance.https://www.theguardian.com/china/story/0,,1996689,00.html China confirms anti-satellite missile test The Guardian London 23 January 2007 23 January 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070128001504/http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1996689,00.html 28 January 2007 live It was the first known successful satellite intercept test since September 1985, when the United States destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite with ASM-135 anti-satellite missile released by a F-15 Eagle flying at a speed of Mach 0.934 and an altitude of 38,100 ft (11.6 km). The satellite was orbiting at 345 miles (555 km).The Death of a Satellite : Edwards Air Force Basehttps://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2019/03/27/history-anti-satellite-weapon-us-asat-missile.html History of anti-satellite weapons: US tested 1st ASAT missile 60 years ago The Week https://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000456659/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180616220842/http://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000456659/ dead 16 June 2018 Asm-135 Asat The New York Times,https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/washington/23satellite.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=asia&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1177412634-gIokCeqAhuEUTz6obSrvpQ U.S. Knew of China's Missile Test, but Kept Silent The New York Times 23 April 2007 24 April 2007 Michael R. Gordon David S. Cloud https://web.archive.org/web/20160222095730/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/washington/23satellite.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=asia&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1177412634-gIokCeqAhuEUTz6obSrvpQ 22 February 2016 live The Washington Timeshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070124-121536-8225r.htm Officials fear war in space by China The Washington Times 24 January 2007 19 February 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070126091518/http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070124-121536-8225r.htm 26 January 2007 and Jane's Intelligence Reviewhttp://jir.janes.com/public/jir/chinawatch.shtml Space to manoeuvre – Satellite attack upsets US space supremacy Jane's Intelligence Review 7 February 2007 19 February 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070305030425/http://jir.janes.com/public/jir/chinawatch.shtml 5 March 2007 dead Or see archived version: reported that the Chinese test came after at least two direct ascent tests that intentionally did not result in an intercept, on 7 July 2005 and 6 February 2006.Joan Johnson-Freese. Heavenly Ambitions: America's Quest to Dominate Space. p. 12 A leaked classified diplomatic cable indicates that the same system was tested against a ballistic target in January 2010 http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/02/03/wikileaks-cables-on-us-china-asat-testing/ WikiLeaks cables on US-China ASAT testing 3 February 2011 Spacepolitics.com Foust Jeff https://web.archive.org/web/20140808053909/http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/02/03/wikileaks-cables-on-us-china-asat-testing/ 8 August 2014 live in what the Chinese government publicly described as a test of "ground-based midcourse missile interception technology". http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-11-china-missile-defense_N.htm?csp=34 China: Missile defense system test successful 11 January 2010 USA Today https://web.archive.org/web/20140808123114/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-11-china-missile-defense_N.htm?csp=34 8 August 2014 live That description also closely matches the Chinese government's description of another test in January 2013, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-01/28/c_124285293.htm China carries out land-based mid-course missile interception test 28 January 2013 Xinhua https://web.archive.org/web/20140905055759/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-01/28/c_124285293.htm 5 September 2014 dead which has led some analysts to conclude that it was yet another test of the same ASAT system, again against a ballistic target and not a satellite. http://swfound.org/media/115643/china_asat_testing_fact_sheet_aug_2013.pdf Anti-satellite Tests in Space - The Case of China 16 August 2013 Secure World Foundation https://web.archive.org/web/20140802030908/http://www.swfound.org/media/115643/china_asat_testing_fact_sheet_aug_2013.pdf 2 August 2014 live Background During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the United States bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.16–17 The US stated that the bombing was accidental.17 Chinese leadership believed that the US had intentionally bombed the embassy and viewed China as significantly lacking in leverage against the United States.17 Among other efforts to reduce its gap in leverage such as developing cyberwarfare capabilities, China began to develop its counterspace abilities.17 In January 2001, a US congressionally mandated space commission headed by Donald Rumsfeld recommended that "the US government should vigorously pursue the capabilities called for in the National Space Policy to ensure that the president will have the option to deploy weapons in space to deter threats to, and, if necessary, defend against attacks on US interests." Moreover, the subsequent US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 allowed the United States to pursue missile defenses, including those that were space-based. In response to the actions by the US towards potential space weaponization, the Chinese started developing their own anti-satellite missiles.Zhang, Hui Action/Reaction: U.S. Space Weaponization and China https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2005-12/features/actionreaction-us-space-weaponization-china Arms Control Association 19 January 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190816113454/https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2005-12/features/actionreaction-us-space-weaponization-china 16 August 2019 live The 2007 test was part of a broader approach of strategic substitution to develop leverage from "information age weapons" instead of nuclear weapons.Cunningham Fiona S. Under the Nuclear Shadow: China's Information-Age Weapons in International Security 2025 Princeton University Press 978-0-691-26103-4 1 Weaponry The Chinese anti-satellite system was named by Lieutenant General Michael Maples (then Director of US Defense Intelligence Agency), in a Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, as the SC-19.https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=269792 Senator Clinton Questions Vice Admiral John M. McConnell, USN (ret), Director of National Intelligence and Lieutenant General Michael Maples, USA, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency at a Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Worldwide Threats 27 February 2007 24 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070330225204/https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=269792 30 March 2007 The SC-19 has been described as being based on a modified DF-21 ballistic missile with a Kinetic Kill Vehicle mounted. The ASAT kill vehicle relies on an imaging infrared seeker and also has been described as a modified HQ-19 with a KT-1 rocket booster.http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/sc-19-asat.htm Sc-19 Asat 17 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170613044709/http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/sc-19-asat.htm 13 June 2017 live The program is said to have been at least partially funded by China's 863 Program (specifically, the 863-409 focus area).Ian Easton, The Great Game in Space: China's Evolving ASAT Weapons Programs and Their Implications for Future U.S. Strategy, Project 2049 Occasional Paper, 24 June 2009, p.2., https://web.archive.org/web/20170830002216/http://project2049.net/documents/china_asat_weapons_the_great_game_in_space.pdf 30 August 2017 The closing velocity of the intercept was approximately 8 kilometers per second (17,900 mph), comparable to the American National Missile Defense system.https://www.wired.com/2008/01/inside-the-chin/ https://web.archive.org/web/20090413034141/http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/inside-the-chin.html dead How China Loses the Coming Space War (Pt. 1) Noah Shachtman 11 January 2008 13 April 2009 www.wired.com Aftermath thumb|250px|Known orbit planes of Fengyun-1C debris one month after its disintegration by the Chinese ASAT (orbits exaggerated for visibility) Political reactions Several nations responded negatively to the test and highlighted the serious consequences of engaging in the militarisation of space. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao stated, "There's no need to feel threatened about this" and argued that "China will not participate in any kind of arms race in outer space."19 January 2007 China says space programme is no threat Agence France Presse https://www.spacedaily.com/yesterday/spacedaily-2007-01-20.html 5 February 2023New York Times (2007). China Shows Assertiveness in Weapons Test https://web.archive.org/web/20170314195953/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/world/asia/20china.html?ex=157680000&en=515b27578ee57de2&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink 14 March 2017 . Retrieved 21 January 2007. China had publicly been advocating to ban space weapons, which had been rejected by the United States under George W. Bush because of certain loopholes in the treaty.US Dismisses Space Weapons Treaty Proposal as "Fundamentally Flawed" 30 November 2001 https://spacenews.com/41842us-dismisses-space-weapons-treaty-proposal-as-fundamentally-flawed The United States had not tested an anti-satellite weapon since 1985. In February 2008, the US launched its own strike to destroy a non-functioning US satellite, which demonstrated the capability to strike in space, though at a much lower altitude than the Chinese test. The US claimed that the strike was not a military test but a necessary mission to remove the threat posed by the decaying orbit of a faulty spy satellite with a full tank of hydrazine fuel.http://www.smh.com.au/world/america-threatened-china-over-star-wars-20110203-1affj.html America threatened China over 'star wars' 8 July 2011 smh 4 February 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110709183524/http://www.smh.com.au/world/america-threatened-china-over-star-wars-20110203-1affj.html 9 July 2011 live In early 2013, the Russian concept satellite BLITS collided with what is believed to be a piece of debris from Fengyun-1C, was knocked out of its orbit and soon afterwards data retrieval from the satellite ceased. Space debris tracking List of space debris producing events Anti-satellite missile tests, especially ones involving kinetic kill vehicles as in this case, contribute to the formation of orbital space debris which can remain in orbit for many years and could interfere with future space activity (Kessler syndrome).Covault Craig http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw012207p2.xml China's Asat Test Will Intensify U.S.-Chinese Faceoff in Space Aviation Week 21 January 2007 21 January 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070127122105/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2Faw012207p2.xml 27 January 2007 live The 2007 Chinese ASAT test created the largest field of space debris in history, with more than 3,000 pieces of trackable size (golf ball size and larger) officially catalogued in the immediate aftermath, and an estimated 150,000 debris particles.Hadley Greg Saltzman: China's ASAT Test Was 'Pivot Point' in Space Operations 13 January 2023 https://www.airandspaceforces.com/saltzman-chinas-asat-test-was-pivot-point-in-space-operations/#:~:text=China's%20destruction%20of%20one%20of,more%20than%203%2C000%20trackable%20pieces. Airandspaceforces magazine 12 April 2023http://www.centerforspace.com/asat/ Chinese ASAT Test 18 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070423040143/http://www.centerforspace.com/asat/ 23 April 2007 livehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17497766 ISS crew take to escape capsules in space junk alert 24 March 2012 BBC 24 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120324150155/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17497766 24 March 2012 live 2016 10, a total of 3,438 pieces of debris had been detected, with 571 decayed and 2,867 still in orbit nine years after the incident.CelesTrak TSKelso 789570050621448192 CelesTrak SATCAT updated earlier today to add 12 more pieces of FENGYUN 1C debris. That brings the total to 3,438 pieces with 571 decayed. 21 October 2016 24 October 2016 More than half of the tracked debris orbits the Earth with a mean altitude above 850 km mi, so they would likely remain in orbit for decades or centuries. http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/SatelliteFragHistory/TM-2008-214779.pdf History of On-Orbit Satellite Fragmentations 14th NASA Orbital Debris Program Office 26, 386 May 2008 31 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20140712073336/http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/SatelliteFragHistory/TM-2008-214779.pdf 12 July 2014 live Based on 2009 and 2013 calculations of solar flux, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office estimated that around 30% of the larger-than-10 cm in on us debris would still be in orbit in 2035.A. B. Vavrin http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/pdfs/ODQNv19i1.pdf Solar Cycle Sensitivity Study of Breakup Events in LEO Orbital Debris Quarterly NASA Orbital Debris Program Office January 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150402175150/http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/pdfs/ODQNv19i1.pdf 2 April 2015 In April 2011, debris from the Chinese test passed 6 km away from the International Space Station.http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/05/space.station.debris/index.html?hpt=T2 NASA monitoring space junk near International Space Station 5 April 2011 CNN 5 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20121109182853/http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/05/space.station.debris/index.html?hpt=T2 9 November 2012 live As of April 2019, 3000 of the 10,000 pieces of space debris routinely tracked by the US military as a threat to the International Space Station were known to have originated from the 2007 satellite shoot down.https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/02/a-terrible-thing-nasa-condemns-indias-destruction-of-satellite-and-resulting-space-junk 'A terrible thing': India's destruction of satellite threatens ISS, says Nasa Safi Michael 2 April 2019 The Guardian 27 May 2019 Devlin Hannah en-GB 0261-3077 https://web.archive.org/web/20190423122147/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/02/a-terrible-thing-nasa-condemns-indias-destruction-of-satellite-and-resulting-space-junk 23 April 2019 live Response Official responses Australia – Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he did not want to see "some sort of spread, if you like, of an arms race into outer space". Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that nations "must use space peacefully." Russia – Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, stated that he considers reports on the Chinese anti-satellite missile test "exaggerated and abstract", reminding at the same time, that Russia always was against the militarisation of space.Sergei Ivanov considers reports on the rocket launch by China, that destroyed a satellite, exaggerated 20 January 2007 Voice of Russia ru http://www.vor.ru/index.phtml?id=4452 https://web.archive.org/web/20070930022249/http://www.vor.ru/index.phtml?id=4452 30 September 2007 dead United Kingdom – A spokesman for the Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters that British officials had raised the matter with China. "We are concerned about the impact of debris in space and we expressed that concern," he said. However he also said that "We don't believe that this does contravene international law".Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Britain_Concerned_By_Chinese_Satellite_Shoot_Down_999.html Britain Concerned By Chinese Satellite Shoot-Down Spacedaily.com 19 January 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110607225653/http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Britain_Concerned_By_Chinese_Satellite_Shoot_Down_999.html 7 June 2011 live United States – National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe, who confirmed that the test had occurred, stated that the United States "believes 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."David Kestenbaum https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6923805 Chinese Missile Destroys Satellite in 500-Mile Orbit National Public Radio 19 January 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20111121121752/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6923805 21 November 2011 live Unofficial or indirectly related responses Desmond Ball of the Australian National University while commenting on China's anti-satellite (ASAT) test of January 2007 said: “China's ASAT test of 11 January involved a fairly primitive system, limited to high-inclination LEO satellites. It is the sort of capability available to any country with a store of MRBMs/IRBMs or satellite launch vehicles, and a long-range radar system, such as Japan, India, Iran and even North Korea. However, its LEO coverage does include some extremely valuable satellites, including imaging and ELINT satellites, and the test is likely to generate reactions in several countries”.Assessing China's ASAT program http://rmit.nautilus.org/forum-reports/0714s-ball/#n2 Nautilus Institute at RMIT 1 August 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130108020703/http://rmit.nautilus.org/forum-reports/0714s-ball/#n2 8 January 2013 dead Related treaties The Outer Space Treaty banned weapons of mass destruction in orbit and outer space but does not ban conventional weaponry in orbit. It is ratified by 98 countries, including China, and signed by 27 others.Outer Space Treaty https://web.archive.org/web/20110427091708/http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/outerspt.html 27 April 2011 . United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs See also Anti-satellite weapon ASAT program of China BLITS Kill vehicle Militarisation of space Space debris Space weapon Space warfare Kessler Syndrome Dong Neng-2 China's military expenditure ASM-135 ASAT (first known successful anti-satellite weapon test) Operation Burnt Frost Mission Shakti References 30em External links Space Programs Links to test graphics and technical analysis Wayback Machine Google Earth layer tracking fragments of FY-1C Action/Reaction: U.S. Space Weaponization and China | Arms Control Association China’s Anti-Satellite Weapon Test – CRS Report for Congress Anti-satellite Category:21st-century military history of China Category:Space program of China Category:Intentionally destroyed artificial satellites Chinese Anti-satellite Missile Test, 2007 Category:Satellite collisions Category:January 2007 in China