China destroys satellite, sparks fears of military space race

Beijing: China has begun downplaying fears of a military space race after U.S. spy agencies said it had shot down an about-to-be-retired weather satellite on January 11. With the report surfacing in an aviation weekly, a rising chorus of international condemnation has followed — particularly from Washington and its Asian allies.

According to the aviation magazine report, the missile was fired from the Xichang space centre in central Sichuan province and hit the satellite orbiting more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above earth.

Even as concerns were raised about the debris from the impact threatening other satellites, particularly the manned International Space Station, Chinese authorities issued soothing statements, in an attempt to shake off diplomatic dust beginning to collect around them.

While the White House, Japan and the UK questioned Chinese commitment to international cooperation in the civil space area, Australia went a step ahead and summoned the Chinese ambassador. Taiwan said that any such development would affect security in the Taiwan Straits. Another immediate neighbour, South Korea, expressed its concerns as well.

China's destruction of a eight year old weather satellite would make it the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to destroy a target in space. If confirmed, the test would establish China's credentials to down spy satellites.

Freedom of action
The Chinese test is the first space weapons test in two decades, ever since the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union stopped such testing on concerns related to creating space debris. International observers point out, however, that the exercise is not a totally unexpected development.

A report in October 2006 (Defense News) alleged that China "dazzled" a U.S. satellite with a ground based laser, giving clear indication of its ability to blind U.S. military satellites in times of crisis. Though the report did not draw specific response from the Pentagon, shortly thereafter the US government released an unclassified version of its new space policy, which said analysts, was a forceful assertion of America's right to respond forcefully to such threats.

For quite some time now China and Russia have been urging the United States to begin negotiations on a treaty banning weapons in space. The US has been resisting their pleas on the ground that it would inhibit American "freedom of action in space."

Analysts say that the Chinese test may well be an attempt to bring the US to the negotiating table.