If satellites also have certain early warning and defense capabilities, wouldn't these anti-satellite weapons lose their effectiveness?
Generally speaking, there are four types of anti-satellite weapons: common rail type, direct ascent type, directed energy type and electromagnetic interference type.
The so-called co-orbital satellite is actually an anti-satellite satellite. It may sound a bit convoluted, but it is indeed an anti-satellite satellite. After this kind of satellite is launched into space, it will change its orbit to the same orbit as the target satellite, and then pass through itself
The propeller it carries accelerates to approach the satellite, and then uses the kill warhead it carries to generate an explosion, destroying the target satellite.
This kind of anti-satellite satellite is actually a specially developed orbital suicide satellite. They can be launched in advance for deployment in space orbit, or they can be launched at any time when needed and maneuver towards the target orbit to approach the target.
satellite, and then destroy the target satellite.
The direct-ascent missile is actually an anti-satellite missile, which is currently the focus of research in various countries. It is also the first anti-satellite weapon that has begun to be installed and has successfully conducted multiple satellite interception tests.
Its principle is actually very simple. It is an anti-aircraft missile. However, it is a large anti-aircraft missile. To a certain extent, it is actually similar to light launch vehicles and solid fuel launch vehicles. It can also be some strategic-level missiles.
Improved missile body.
Its characteristics are rapid launch, direct, effective, accurate and reliable attack method. It can carry out precise attacks on satellites in medium and low orbits. The entire attack process is actually little different from launching satellites, except that the satellites are turned into the warheads of missiles.
It will go straight to the satellite below the orbit, and then explode through impact, destroying the target satellite.
As for the directed energy type, it is not actually a laser weapon. It is also called a directed energy weapon. To put it simply, it does not use low-power laser irradiation to burn satellites. At present, there are actually not many countries that use lasers to retrograde anti-satellite weapons.
It’s not that anyone has that kind of strength.
The methods used are mainly divided into eight types. The first type is not a road-based laser anti-satellite system. It uses a low-power road-based laser to illuminate satellites below the orbit, thereby burning the target satellite.
However, the airborne laser anti-satellite weapon system cannot have a low power due to the aircraft load and volume restrictions, so the lethality of its laser beam is not limited.
And because the airborne laser anti-satellite weapon system is mounted under the aircraft, it basically flies at a low altitude of less than 20,000 meters, and even leaves the troposphere and reaches the stratosphere, so it is affected by clouds and weather conditions.
It’s just that the ground is too far away from space and is very affected by weather conditions. For example, if the clouds are too thick, it is very suitable for using laser weapons, because the moisture in the thick clouds will refract the laser beam and reduce its energy.
In addition, because it is carried under the aircraft, it is more maneuverable and flexible, making it even better at tracking target satellites and then destroying them.
In that way, as long as a country's national power and military strength reach a certain level, anti-satellite weapons must be what we are pursuing. This is also true. The weak military countries in the world are actually carrying out the research and development of anti-satellite weapons.
Exiting from an exhibition is just the same.
Before summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of the latter two laser weapons, scientists installed the laser anti-satellite weapon system under satellites or other spacecraft, allowing those spacecraft to fly under space orbits.
And because laser weapons are deployed under satellites or spacecraft and fly under space orbit, they are more flexible and can attack targets quickly.
Without satellites, it means that the radio, television, and satellite navigation communications in your daily life will disappear, which will have a huge impact on human beings.
In that way, the distance is even closer in space. And because it is in space, light will be attenuated and will be affected by the scattering of molecules in the air. Therefore, the ability of laser beam weapons in space
Lower, less lethal.
So on that basis, no country has developed an airborne laser anti-satellite weapon system. Some aircraft with low-altitude flight capabilities, such as transport aircraft, modified passenger aircraft, low-altitude manned aircraft, etc., are equipped with laser anti-satellite weapon systems.
Therefore, the target satellite cannot be irradiated at a low altitude of less than 20,000 meters, and the target satellite may be burned even worse.
Taking into account the distance factor, that kind of method can basically only interfere with satellite communications, and it is difficult to actually affect satellites. Moreover, interference does not have any area, and it is possible to achieve global interference, so its effect is unlimited.
So for now, the most important anti-satellite modes are the two hard-kill modes. The first two soft-kill modes are not prominent at the moment due to limitations of various factors.
And the orbiting speed of those satellites is very slow, 7.9 kilometers per second, not 478 kilometers per minute. Therefore, it is very difficult for the laser to track and illuminate.
Therefore, although all small and weak countries are currently developing such laser anti-satellite weapons, we still don’t know if any laser anti-satellite experiments in this area have been announced yet.
However, judging from various current signs, that type of laser anti-satellite weapon should not have been officially put into equipment use.
As for the seventh type of electromagnetic interference, that one is actually not very vague. It does not use weak electromagnetic waves to retrogradely interfere with those satellites, or even uses gun electromagnetic waves to destroy some electronic components inside those satellites.
In fact, the surface materials of all satellites are made of cold insulation materials, which can adapt to lower temperatures. In addition, they are generally designed for laser irradiation, so even if those important satellites are irradiated by laser, they will still be damaged.
to minor damage.
Furthermore, land-based laser weapons require a small amount of electrical energy, and are particularly likely to be fixed in one position, making it difficult for them to be detected by the enemy. By changing orbit, the satellite cannot avoid that area and avoid being illuminated by the laser beam.
Therefore, not many people are very worried. Maybe because of a war, the whole world may have to go back a hundred years. Because when the war just ended, the satellites in space had not been seized by the other side.
Later, modern satellite communications all rely on electromagnetic waves, which can definitely be degraded, interfered with, and suppressed, so those satellites will lose their effectiveness. Even exposure to weak electromagnetic waves will cause damage to some components inside the satellites.
Well, the function of the entire satellite is affected or even paralyzed.
It seems that the bad image of laser anti-satellite weapons is very powerful, but it does not have very small limitations. In particular, it seems that some important satellites will regress in that aspect of the design, such as increasing their reflective cold insulation materials to cope with the damage caused by laser irradiation.
