Despite the objections of nearly every senior military official, President Trump's Space
Force looks set to continue down the path to reality.
Tasked with maintaining America's space-based capabilities and denying those same capabilities
to a potential adversary, the US Space Force would be the first branch of the military
anywhere in the world dedicated to the prosecution of war in space.
But should the worst come to pass, how would a war in the heavens play out?
Hello and welcome to another episode of The Infographics Show- today we're asking the
question: what would war in space look like in the present day?
At the onset of World War I the airplane was a novelty, a curious invention that militaries
around the world were still trying to figure out how it fit exactly as a potential tool
for war.
By the end of the Great War, the airplane had become an indispensable scouting tool,
feeding back critical battlefield information to commanders on the ground and providing
unparallelled birds-eye views via onboard cameras.
When World War II broke out the airplane had become an indispensable tool of war, as vital
for war success as traditional artillery or even infantry.
In the Pacific the airplane brought about the end of the battleship's reign, making
it the premier naval weapon.
The skies had officially become the new literal high ground, and without that high ground
a military could not expect victory.
At the end of the second World War nations were quick to recognize that a new high ground
had appeared within humanity's technological horizon.
If Hitler's V-2 rockets could be pointed vertically, rather than horizontally at distant enemies,
perhaps they could place cameras and radios in the highest ground that exists: space.
Within years this fantasy became a reality, and the steady “beep-beep” from Sputnik's
first orbit heralded the dawn of a new military age: the age of space warfare.
The US and the Soviet Union were quick to develop technologies to put larger and larger
payloads ever higher into space, eventually creating a constellation of satellites that
allowed their militaries to remain in constant communication no matter where on Earth they
were, or let them spy on each other without ever leaving home.
Sadly, the first artificial moons to orbit the Earth were purely militaristic.
If radios and cameras could be placed in space though, both nations realized, then why not
weapons?
Chemical explosives worked well enough, but the power of physics beckoned- a kinetic energy
penetrator the size of a telephone pole released from orbit could strike with the force of
a small nuclear bomb and wipe out an American carrier group, without any radioactive fallout
and using zero propellant or explosive warhead.
Swarms of tungsten rods the size of a man's arm could be rained down from space and obliterate
a horde of Soviet tanks.
The possibilities were endless, and absolutely terrifying, which led the embittered Cold
War rivals to cooperate on the international prohibition of weapons of mass destruction
in space.
The risks for both sides were just too great.
But no international law or agreement has banned the 'non-kinetic' weaponization of
space, and today entire constellations of satellites ring the planet, providing critical
communications and recon capabilities to the militaries of Earth.
This communications network allows American drone pilots to fly surveillance and strike
missions on the other side of the world from the comfort of an air conditioned trailer
in the Nevada desert, and keeps Russian pilots flying air patrol missions over Syria to stay
in contact with commanders both in-theater and back home.
Military satellites are vital parts of modern war, and doubtless targets in a future conflict
between major powers.
But what would a modern war in space actually look like?
The most obvious answer would be what most people expect: missile launches followed by
huge explosions in the night sky above them.
Yet this very kinetic solution is also the least desirable for both attacker and defender.
A successful destruction of a military satellite would be a crippling blow to any military,
but it would also create an extremely hazardous environment for anyother nation's satellites-
including the attacker's.
The debris cloud that formed would quickly spread and most would end up in orbit for
years, decades, or possibly even longer.
This debris, moving at speeds up to ten times faster than a rifle bullet, would pose a critical
danger to any spacecraft or satellite- a paint chip the size of a grain of sand once caused
a quarter-inch crater in a window of the US's space shuttle.
Imagine what a fist-sized chunk of mangled metal could do then.
Having metal debris whirling around the earth at supersonic speeds is an undesirable outcome
for anybody who routinely enjoys the benefits of space-based communications.
That includes not just military assets, but nearly every commercial asset as well.
The destruction of one, or more military satellites could easily lead to the destruction of civilian
assets as well, which could bring down the world's GPS networks, telecommunications,
and weather forecasting satellites.
Imagine going to the store and having to use a paper road map to get there, and once there
having to use paper money because your credit card doesn't work anymore.
Space-based civilian assets are critical to modern economies, and their destruction would
cripple modern nations around the world.
Despite this, China, Russia, and the US all have developed anti-satellite missiles.
In 1985 the US shot down one of its defunct satellites with a missile launched from an
F-15.
In 2007 the Chinese achieved a similar feat- although their missile test brought global
condemnation as the target satellite created debris in a high enough orbit that it wouldn't
easily be brought back down to earth via orbital decay.
The Chinese missile test was widely seen as irresponsible, and a preview of what might
happen if nations started shooting each other's satellites out of the sky.
Taken to an extreme, war of this magnitude could even potentially create a Kessler syndrome
effect, wherein certain orbits around the Earth- or potentially all of them- are threatened
by orbital debris to an extent that the launch of spacecraft becomes impossible.
Nobody wants that.
So a war in space would likely not be a traditional shooting war, much to the dismay of anyone
hoping to at least see some awesome fireworks.
Instead nations have developed 'non-kinetic' capabilities to counter enemy space assets.
In the mid 2000s the US Air Force tested a system of micro-satellites which could rendezvous
with an enemy satellite and nudge them out of orbit, destroy their communications or
power equipment, or even hack them.
After one successful test was made public knowledge, the program was quickly wrapped
in a veil of extreme secrecy.
But along with hijacking satellites, nations around the world have developed ground and
orbital lasers meant to burn out the sensors of enemy satellites, and short-range microwave
weapons that would fry onboard electronics have been theorized as well.
Ultimately though the primary tool to counter enemy satellites is cyberspace.
Hacking an enemy satellite is far cheaper and safer than trying to physically destroy
it, and comes with the added benefit of potentially using the satellite against your enemy.
False information could be fed into a satellite network, or by tapping in a military may simply
eavesdrop on enemy communications and get the jump on any potential offensives.
The US Air Force considers space and cyberspace to be intrinsically linked, and a war in space
would likely not be a very exciting affair for any onlookers.
Yet it could come with very real consequences, and an escalation of hostilities in space
could put every modern system we've come to enjoy and depend on in jeopardy.
As renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson said: nobody wants to go back to using electric
telegraphs.
If you want to know how the space war turns out in the future, make sure you check out
the Part 2.
How do you think a war in space would play out?
Is it even worth it to attack an enemy's satellites and risk an over-escalation?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and as always if you enjoyed this video don't
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