These weapons have the potential to cripple an adversary’s battlefield operations. They are purpose-built to collide with - and destroy - satellites. Those missiles fired in the beginning are called ‘kinetic anti-satellite weapons’, kinetic ASAT for short. Satellites are the ‘modern’ in modern militaries. From simple communication between units to complex targeting systems and everything in between. Modern militaries are heavily reliant on satellites for a whole range of tasks. This apocalyptic scenario is worryingly conceivable. Worst of all, we lose Global Positioning Systems, so anyone born after the advent of smart phones is lost because they can’t read a map. High-end ‘smart’ weapons systems from missile defence to drones lose their ‘smart.’ Future manned space missions are now suicidally dangerous and unmanned missions become prohibitively risky (and therefore expensive). Financial institutions struggle to stay online. We can no longer forecast the weather effectively. Without satellites, global telecommunications, transport, power and computer systems are severely disrupted. Within months, all existing satellites will be threatened. There is now so much space debris in orbit that transit to and from earth is virtually impossible. Within several weeks, collisional cascading of debris has begun – the ‘ Kessler Syndrome’. Thousands of wrecking balls travelling at roughly 25,000 km/h. They break up into thousands of pieces which then begin their own uncontrollable orbit of the earth. These are the firsts shots fired in anger in a conflict between major powers. They too hurtle towards an orbiting satellite. ![]() Moments later, another barrage is fired from a nearby island. ![]() Never to return to earth, their target is a satellite orbiting thousands of kilometres above. During escalating geopolitical tensions over ownership of an island in the South China Sea, a number of missiles are launched from a submarine lurking deep below the surface.
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