America's 'Anti-Satellite Sword' Pointed At China

When the United States accuses China of developing anti-satellite and space weapons, it is 'certainly a case of a pot calling the kettle black.' Such is the verdict of this op-ed article from China's State-controlled Guangzhou Daily. After an explanation of what China is currently doing at their South Pole Base, the article launches into a critique of America's current space activities.

By Yutong Li

February 13, 2006

Original Guangzhou Daily Article (Chinese)    

In the beginning of 2006, news came from China's Zhongshan South Pole Research Station that a site had been found for a planned high-frequency radar scanning station nearby. It will mainly be used for detection and research in the polar area. But when this kind of civilian scientific project makes a big splash in the news, it arouses "serious concern" and "restlessness" on the opposite shore of the Pacific.

The American World Tribune Web site [] quoted an American security expert's speech the other day, as saying that the project, "could be used by China to develop anti-satellite lasers capable of blinding or disrupting U.S. reconnaissance satellites, most of which pass over the pole," and so on. These so-called "security experts" also carelessly accuse that, "China's space program, unlike the U.S. space program, is directly related to Chinese military operations," taking as an example the Report on Chinese Military Force issued by the Pentagon last year [] to allege that China is planning to develop defenses against satellite threats (ASAT systems).

FALSE ACCUSATIONS IN U.S. NEWSPAPERS

Regarding this, the U.S. has made baseless accusations that have caused major repercussions among international scientists. Dr. Hu Hongqiao, director of the soon-to-be-built Chinese High Frequency Radar Polar Research Center, states that this radar station will have 15 discrete functions, and seeks to become the preeminent research facility in the South Pole area. As an environmental laboratory for the Zhongshan base, it will be one of China's most important projects, and will mainly be used for polar space surveying and research.

The data collected from the high-frequency radar station China intends to build will also be open to the public. According to experts, its antenna array is composed of a total of 20 units; the host antenna will have 16 units and the auxiliary antenna, four; the height of each antenna will be 20 meters [65 feet]; the antenna unites will be approximately 14 meters apart [50 feet]; the length of the total array will be approximately 230 meters [754 feet]. This high frequency radar will mainly be used to survey the processes of the ionosphere within a range of 3,000 kilometers [1,864 Miles].  It will bring our nation within the "Eastern Hemisphere Midnight-Noon Chain of Ground Synthesis Space Environment Observation [unable to make English confirmation]," will raise China to a new level in polar space environment surveying and research, and expand our country's influence in international polar science.

Hao Zhanjun, an engineer at the China Radio Propagation Research Institute, pointed out that this project was originally proposed in 1995 by the Chinese Academy of Science, the Department of Industrial Information, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Earthquake Bureau, and the National Oceans Bureau - these 5 units have jointly supervised the project. Its purpose is to understanding the rules by which disastrous weather changes occur in the atmosphere, as well as the regional characteristics of weather patterns over China. It guarantees our country's security in terms of operating satellites and ionosphere-based communications and navigation.  So it can be said that this project has nothing at all to do with U.S. spy satellites. Neither will it threaten the security of satellites in any way - rather, it will act to protect satellites form being negatively influenced by the ionosphere.

AMERICA'S POLAR ORBIT SPY SATELLITE

As military experts on spy satellites have pointed out in this newspaper, in spite of the concern of American "security experts," it has been revealed that America uses the regions of outer space over the polar areas to practice reconnaissance photography against other countries and carry on military operations such as electronic spying and the like.

According to the military experts, the orbits of artificial earth satellites are usually divided into three categories, namely: earth synchronous orbit.

Polar orbit refers to a path with an inclination of 90 degrees, in which each orbit takes the satellite through the terrestrial polar sky, and thus it may take in the entire surface of the earth. Meteorological satellites, earth resource satellites, and reconnaissance satellites often use this orbit. [SEE GRAPHICS, left].

Because the U.S. is the leader in space science and technology, it concentrates on satellites launched into polar orbit. For instance, the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System [] has been developed jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, and NASA. 

Beyond this, there are plans afoot for the U.S. to spend over $3 billion on a huge military reconnaissance project, its main purpose being to launch several military-weather reconnaissance satellites into polar orbit, to provide weather forecasts 3 - 7 days in advance to the U.S. military. Moreover the U.S. military also plans to install Landsat imagery systems, which will turn these weather reconnaissance satellites into spy satellites worthy of the name.

U.S. ANTI-SATELLITE SWORD POINTED AT CHINA

At the same time, as every bit of data demonstrates, for several decades America has done research and development on several aspects of anti-satellite weapons, but its main imagined enemy is precisely China.

In 2003, the United States Air Force declared the necessity of research and development on counter-communications systems and counter-surveillance sensory systems (CSRS), and between 2005 and 2009 will deploy these two sets of defenses against satellite threats. Although the U.S. Air Force has acknowledged that its counter-surveillance sensory system project has been cancelled, it has also stated that its counter-communication system is already operational. These systems have been developed jointly by American companies Northrop Grumman and Harris Corp., and the R&D cost amounts to $22 million. It is reported that this system, based on radio frequencies, may take countermeasures against satellite communications, and thus may allow America to realize its dream of supremacy in space by interfering with the satellite communications of hostile nations.

At end of 2005, the [recently retired] head of U.S. Air Force Space Command [], General Lance Lord, declared in an interview with The Washington Times that the Air Force had already deployed satellites capable of carrying out electronic warfare against an opposing army. He also pointed out that frankly, his headquarters is in charge of monitoring and protecting against satellite attacks and disturbances, and even plays a key role in preparations for attacks against enemy equipment.

[Editor's Note: The Mission of the U.S. Air Force Space Command is: "To defend the United States of America through the control and exploitation of space." They are known as the "Guardians of the High Frontier." Visit their Web Site ].

He stated, "We are paying attention to China. In the future China will be a powerful potential competitor. They are guarding against us, and we are guarding against them." His obvious intention is to point the sword at China.

Until now, the U.S. has researched or is developing two main types of weapons-related systems: space-based and atmosphere-based anti-satellite interceptors. These systems have been equipped with direct-line anti-satellite kinetic interceptor missiles, "smart" object interceptor missiles, deep space interceptors, electromagnetic artillery, and many other kinds of anti-satellite weapons.  With such anti-satellite capabilities, when Washington accuses China's civilian science experiments of threatening American security, this is certainly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Chinese Version Below

美国空基反卫星激光武器。

　　一个民用科学项目取得重大进展的新闻，却引起了大洋彼岸美国的严重“关切”和“不安”

　　·美国几十年来在反卫星武器研发方面也是独步全球，而其中的主要假想敌也正是中国。

　　·美空军航天司令部负责人：未来中国将是强有力的潜在竞争者。他们在提防我们；我们也在提防他们。

　　·美国才是真正利用极地空间对他国实施侦察拍照，进行电子刺探等军事活动的真正的活跃分子。

　　2006年初，从中国南极中山科学考察站传来一则消息，中国在中山站附近计划建设的一部高频雷达的选址工作已经完成，将主要用于对极地地区空间环境的探测和研究。但是，就是这样一个民用科学项目取得重大进展的新闻，却引起了大洋彼岸美国的严重“关切”和“不安”……

　　美国世界论坛网站日前引述一些美国安全专家的话宣称，“中国的南极高频雷达可能会被用来发展反卫星激光能力，以破坏或中断美国通过南极 的侦察卫星”云云。这些所谓的“安全专家”还胡乱指责说，“中国的空间项目与美国的空间项目完全不同，都与中国军方操作有直接关系”，并举出五角大楼去年 发布的《中国军力报告》为例，称中国正在计划发展反卫星系统(ASAT systems)。

　　美报无端指责

　　美方对此的无端指责，引起了国际间科学界的强烈反响。具体负责高频雷达筹建工作的中国极地研究中心胡红桥博士介绍说，这一雷达站点这是 中国极地“十五”能力建设计划中在南极现场投入最多的一个科考设施，作为中山站极区空间环境实验室最重要的建设项目之一，将主要用于对极区空间环境的探测 和研究。

　　中国即将在南极建设的这部高频雷达的相关资料也是对外公开的，据专家介绍，天线阵共由二十个天线单元组成，其中主天线有十六个天线 单元，副天线有四个天线单元，每个天线高二十米，天线间距约十四米，天线阵总长度约二百三十米。这部高频雷达主要是用于探测３０００公里范围内的电离层对 流，它将被纳入我国“东半球空间环境地面综合观测子午链”，有利于提升我国极区空间环境的探测和研究水平，扩大我国极地科学在国际上的影响。

　　中国电波传播研究所工程师郝战军也指出，这个项目来源于1995年，由中国科学院、信息产业部、教育部、中国地震局、国家海洋局5 家单位联合向国家的一项建议，其目的是为了解空间环境灾害性天气变化规律及中国上空环境的区域性特征，更好地保证我国在空间运行的卫星和受电离层影响的各 类通信导航设施的安全，因此可以说与美国的间谍卫星丝毫扯不上一点关系，不是危害卫星安全的工程，反而是保护卫星不受电离层影响的工程。

　　美国自曝极轨间谍卫星

　　而有军事专家就向本报指出，反观美国这些“安全专家”的担心，倒是不打自招的暴露了美国才是真正利用极地空间对他国实施侦察拍照，进行电子刺探等军事活动的真正的活跃分子。

　　据军事专家介绍，人造地球卫星的轨道通常被分为三种，即地球同步轨道、太阳同步轨道和极轨轨道。其中极轨轨道是指倾角为90度的轨道， 在这条轨道上运行的卫星每圈都要经过地球两极上空，可以俯视整个地球表面，气象卫星，地球资源卫星，侦察卫星常采用此轨道。由于美国在太空科技中的领先地 位，其对极轨卫星的发射也十分重视。比如由美国国家海洋气象管理局、国防部、NASA共同开发的极轨运行环境卫星系统（NPOESS）计划就是一个耗资超 过30亿美元的庞大军事侦察项目，其主要内容就是通过向地球极地轨道上空发射数颗军事气象侦察卫星，向美军提供3－7天的天气预测，而且美军还计划在这种 卫星上加装一个Landsat成像仪，这将使这些气象侦察卫星兼具侦照的功能，成为名副其实的间谍卫星。

　　美反卫星武器研制剑指中国

　　同时，各种资料显示，美国几十年来在反卫星武器研发方面也是独步全球，而其中的主要假想敌也正是中国。2003年美空军就宣称要研发反 通讯系统和反监视侦察系统 (CSRS)，并将分别于2005年和2009年部署这两套反卫星系统。虽然美空军后来承认，反监视侦察系统项目已经被取消。不过，美空军称，反通讯系统 目前已经具备作战能力。这套系统是由美国诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司和哈里斯公司共同研制，研发成本达2200万美元。据悉，该系统以无线电频率为基础，可以干 扰卫星通讯，从而可以使美国实现航天优势，对敌对国家的卫星通讯进行干扰。

　　2005年年底美国空军航天司令部的负责人兰斯·洛德将军在接受《华盛顿时报》采访时就说，空军已经部署了一支能够干扰敌方卫星的 电子战部队，他的司令部在太空监测、保护卫星免遭袭击或干扰、准备对敌机发动攻击方面发挥着关键作用，这名将军还直言不讳地指出：“我们在注意中国。未来 中国将是强有力的潜在竞争者。他们在提防我们；我们也在提防他们。”其剑指中国的意图不言自明。

　　迄今为止，美国已经研发或者正在研发的相关武器就包括空基反卫星拦截器和天基反卫星拦截器两大类型，装备了直接上升式反卫星动能拦 截弹、智能卵石拦截弹、外大气层拦截器以及电磁炮等多种反卫星武器，而拥有这样的反卫星能力，却贼喊抓贼，无端指责中国的正常科学民用试验和设备威胁美国 的安全。（记者/李雨桐）

(编辑： 木猪 )