Perun's video: Space Warfare Anti Satellite Weapons - Taking the High Ground in the new warfighting domain

Whenever a new technology is developed a new domain becomes accessible, there's often a brief window before it's weaponised. The first computer predates the first hacking attack, the first aircraft were not armed, and the first satellites were blissfully immune to any targeting or attack. But humans are humans, and if there's a target to hit, sooner or later militaries will try to find a way to hit it. And where a domain becomes particularly valuable (in the way space has becomes) it makes sense that it will not remain immune to attack forever. In this episode I begin what I hope is a miniseries (to be spread out over time) on war as a domain for competition and, potentially, warfighting. I look today specifically at the basics of space combat, and some of the tools available to nations who want to take the fight to an opponent's space-based capabilities. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU Caveats & Comments: A special thanks to Jakub (@Rebel44CZ on twitter) for his contributions to this episode and support in the review and editing process Sources used during the video on France (including in relation to French space ambitions) are not repeated again below Please note that this content has in places been (I think necessarily) simplified Please also note that Counterspace programs are often some of the most guarded and protected programs out there (as far as we can tell). I thus fully expect that the publicly available picture of capabilities differs from the actual state of affairs, but I still think exploring the issue is valuable for the purposes of this channel. All other common or previously cited caveats apply. Sources & Reading: US Defence Intelligence Agency - CHALLENGES TO SECURITY IN SPACE, Space Reliance in an Era of Competition and Expansion https://www.dia.mil/Portals/110/Documents/News/Military_Power_Publications/Challenges_Security_Space_2022.pdf CSIS - Space Threat Assessment 2023 http://aerospace.csis.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/230414_Bingen_SpaceThreatAssessment_2023_UPDATED-min.pdf NATO'S Approach to Space https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_175419.htmv Reporting on Russian ASAT https://warriormaven.com/future-weapons/russia-tests-new-space-fired-anti-satellite-weapon CRS: Space as a warfighting domain https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11895 CRS: Directed Energy Weapons https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11882 DOD commentary: https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3330161/space-force-focuses-on-partnerships-spirit-combat-readiness/ TASS on Peresvet laser https://tass.com/defense/1014121 https://tass.com/defense/1452697 US Reporting on Peresvet https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/19/russia-laser-weapon-zadira-peresvet-ukraine/ Space force 24 hour alert launch https://spacenews.com/space-force-lays-out-timeline-for-2023-rapid-response-launch-experiment/ TASS on Russian satellite loss reporting https://tass.ru/kosmos/6882787 On the Trump satellite image tweet https://www.npr.org/2022/11/18/1137474748/trump-tweeted-an-image-from-a-spy-satellite-declassified-document-shows Drive on France's plans for armed satellites: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29152/the-french-have-plans-for-a-constellation-of-laser-armed-miniature-satellites Esper on space weaponisation 2020 https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2382905/esper-discusses-new-technologies-designed-to-give-warfighters-the-advantage/ Joint Air & Space Power Conference 2021 https://www.japcc.org/wp-content/uploads/Read_Ahead_2021_Screen.pdf France accuses Russia of spying on satellite https://www.rfi.fr/en/europe/20180908-france-accuses-russia-spying-french-italian-satellite Indian ASAT ambitions: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/satellite-killer-not-a-one-off-india-working-on-star-wars-armoury/articleshow/68758674.cms Iain Boyd on Russian laser weapons https://theconversation.com/russians-reportedly-building-a-satellite-blinding-laser-an-expert-explains-the-technology-186890 Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Space Warfare: Counterspace & Anti-satellite Weapons 00:01:57 — What Am I Talking About 00:03:28 — Contesting The High Ground 00:09:08 — Space Combat Fundamentals 00:17:45 — The Main Players 00:26:34 — Anti-satellite Weapons: Kinetic & Explosive 00:44:11 — Anti-satellite Weapons: Directed Energy 00:52:21 — Anti-satellite Weapons: Other Options 01:00:48 — Endure And Regenerate? 01:06:09 — Conclusions 01:07:37 — Channel Update