Obama to Ban Space Weapons

This is a shock. President Obama wants to ban all weapons in space. Specially he wants a "worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites."

I have a bad feeling about this...

Space Observation

Space monitoring is in the news today.

Electro Optic Systems (ASX: EOS) and OHB-System AG announced an agreement to develop new space surveillance technologies electro optical (EO) and radar technologies in orbit.

Boeing announced that they put a bid in on the Air Force's Self-Awareness Space Situational Awareness (SASSA) program. SASSA is a $30 million contract. Lockheed announced a bid earlier this month.

US Hits Spy Satellite

Wednesday Evening, the US Navy was on target to destroy the aging spy satellite that was falling towards the Earth.

China sees it as the beginning of a space arms race. I would argue there are a lot of differences between the US destruction of its satellite and Chinas hit on an old weather satellite January 2007.

First, the US told everyone what was going to happen. There were even web sites given the time of the launch. China just fired the missile and waited for the chips to fall. Second, and most important, while China's satellite was old, it was in a stable orbit and posed no danger to anyone. This leads this reporter to believe that the main focus of China's launch was to test their ASAT capability, not to destroy the satellite. The US has had ASAT capability for a long time. This was, simply, a way to make sure no one was harmed by a satellite, hurdling towards the Earth.

Russian-Chinese Present Space-Weapons Treaty to UN

Russian and China have teamed up to present a treaty banning weapons in space to the UN disarmament committee.

Doesn't the outer space treaty already ban offensive weapons in space? Do we really want to ban defensive weapons with China's testing anti-satellite weapons last year? I don't think so. Luckily, the US doesn't see to interested in the treaty.

Should We Weaponize Space

David R. Butcher discusses the recently space weapon activity since China's destruction of a weather satellite with an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) in January.

I think weapons in space are a forgone conclusion. I don't see that as a bad thing, however. If we are ever to expand humanity to places other than Earth, we have to see space as just another destination.

There is nothing inherently special about space. As long as we see space as this pristine environment where no evil should fall, real people won't be able to live there.

People are people. We have selfishness, selflessness, hate, love and yes wars (for both good and bad reasons). If people are to break out into the solar system, so will weapons.

NFIRE Satellite Launch Today

The US military is launching the Near Field Infrared Experiment, or NFIRE, satellite. The goal of NFIRE is designed to detect and characterize blast plumes from missile launches as part of a missile defense system.

NASA Watch has the You-Tube video of the launch.

War In Heaven

In "War in Heaven," a Nobel Prize-nominated peace activist and a former U.S. foreign service officer (who helped write the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) look at the history of military uses of space and the current plans for "weaponizing the heavens," including kinetic, laser, nuclear bombardment, and anti-satellite weapons. Contrary to the claims of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that the United States faces a "space Pearl Harbor," Caldicott and Eisendrath show that the United States itself is today the principal obstruction to passage of an international treaty banning weapons from outer space. At a time when plans to build and deploy space weapons are on the administration's agenda but only just becoming known to the general public, this book will help launch a national discussion of a critical issue.


Caldicott and Eisendrath are both available for interviews about the book throughout the spring.


Speaking engagements include:

-- Regina, Canada - March 6, 2007 at University of Regina

-- Saskatoon, Canada - March 7, 2007 at 304 3rd Avenue North

-- Baltimore, MD - March 14, 2007 12 noon - Community College of Baltimore
County - Essex Campus

-- Washington, DC - March 18, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. - Busboys & Poets

-- Chicago, IL - March 21 & 22, 2007 at Loyola University

-- Washington, DC - March 28, 2007 at Beyond Nuclear Weapons Conference at
the National Press Club


More information about all engagements is available at http://www.nuclearpolicy.org/ or by calling 202/822-9800.


"War In Heaven" is being published by the New Press in New York. It retails for $23.95.

China Increases Military Spending 17.8%

China is increasing their military budget by 17.8% to about $45 billion. While that is a fraction of the US military budget, experts believe that most of China's military budget is not part of the public budget. After setting of an ASAT test last month, China has been the focus of discussion over a space arms race.

Editorial: Irans Motives

After Iran's reported missile launch earlier this month, they have now come out and said it was for research purposes.

Really?

I suppose researching long range missile technology that could hit Europe is still research. But I think they are trying to imply that it was all pure scientific, peaceful research. Deputy head of Iran's Space Research Center, Ali Akbar Golrousaid the launch “was aimed at improving science and research for university students.''

I think they are taking a page from China's playbook. Perform an action that is obviously provocative and then release in a press conference how it was for the greater good of mankind.

“Investment in space is very serious and requires time, but we are trying to speed this up,'' IRNA quoted Soleimani as saying.

This is probably true and very disturbing. Iran's is a lot like China except without the lucid periods.

Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said, to increase the number of land and mobile telephone lines to 80 million from 22 million. It also hopes to expand its satellite capabilities to increase Internet users to 35 million from 5.5 million in the next five years.

I am sure all their satellites are for Internet uses.

Space is becoming a very dangerous place.