Pentagon wants killer satellites

Posted on: Oct. 13th, 2004 || Source: defensetech.org | E-mail Article | Print Article

A few weeks back, Defense Tech took a look at the Air Force's emerging plans for fighting in space. Well, "Arms Control Wonk" Jeffrey Lewis has uncovered what looks like a Pentagon wish list for orbital combat. At the top of the list: a slew of itty-bitty satellites. Their mission: "Destruction of Enemy Spacecraft," the Defense Department briefing says.

These killers would be loaded, ten at a time, into a reusable military orbiter. Once a target had been hunted down, these "Microsat Kinetic Kill Payloads" (MKKPs) would intercept an enemy satellite -- the briefing calls it a "hyper-velocity 'tail chase.'" Then they would inspect the damage, after the MKKPs had done their worse.

The MKKP is part of a larger Pentagon project called the Experimental Satellite Series (XSS), Lewis explains.

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