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The US has new intelligence on Russian military capabilities related to its efforts to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite system in space, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence.The intelligence was briefed to Congress and key US allies, and some lawmakers say it is serious enough that it should be declassified and made public. While the intelligence is concerning, multiple senior members of Congress briefed on the information on Wednesday emphasized that it does not pose an immediate threat to the US or its interests. The system remains under development and is not yet in orbit, according to three US...

February 22, 2008 Son of Star Wars takes out toxic satellite in $30m space hit Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Jane Macartney in Beijing Video need to know: expert opinion on the satellite operation The United States provided dramatic proof of its capability to destroy an object in space when a US navy missile scored a direct hit on an American satellite falling out of control. Missile experts said that the Standard SM-3 weapon, fired from the USS Lake Erie, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, took about three minutes to reach the satellite 150 miles (240km) up in the sky, flew above...

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas WASHINGTON – Some of the top minds and leaders in the nation are asking for the help of ordinary citizens to protect America. Conservative stars such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., want to spread word among the grassroots about the greatest dangers America faces and what people can do to effect solutions on a local level. The South Carolina National Security Action Summit is open to the public and will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brookland Baptist Banquet and Conference Center at 1066 Sunset Blvd.,...

Keith's note: This video shows Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking at the University at Buffalo making an impassioned plea for NASA and the value it has to all Americans. In my experience, no one has ever managed to capture this in such a cogent response. Tyson is the sort of people who should be speaking at the OSTP space summit. But no. Politics preside. Instead, its OSTP Vs NSC and OSTP/NSC Vs NASA and a food fight over who gets to say what NASA needs to do at the Summit. What a colossal missed opportunity.

fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill. The $459 billion bill provides $100 million for a new "prompt global strike" program that could deliver a conventional, precision-guided warhead anywhere in the world within two hours. The new program, dubbed Falcon, for "Force Application and Launch from CONUS,". The agency describes Falcon as a "a reusable Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) capable of delivering 12,000 pounds of payload at a distance of 9,000 nautical miles from [the continental United States] in less than two hours." The vehicle would be launched into space on a rocket, fly on its own to a target, deliver its...

MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to take appropriate measures if weapons are deployed in space, the commander of the Russian Space Forces said Thursday. "Should any country deploy weapons in space, then the laws of armed warfare are such that retaliatory weapons are certain to appear," Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said. He said Russia and China have drafted an international declaration on the non-deployment of weapons in space and sent it to the UN. "It is necessary to establish the rules of the game in space," he said, adding that the deployment of weapons in space...

A MODIFIED Boeing 747 designed to be part of an emerging US antimissile shield has successfully completed an important flight test, the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency and Boeing said today. To simulate an intercept, the prototype Airborne Laser actively tracked an airborne target, compensated for atmospheric turbulence and fired a "surrogate" for a missile-zapping high-energy laser, they said. "We have now demonstrated most of the steps needed for the Airborne Laser to engage a threat missile and deliver precise and lethal effects against it," said Pat Shanahan, a vice president at Boeing, the prime contractor. The airborne laser is to...

Symposium: Star Wars DefenseBy Jamie GlazovFrontPageMagazine.com | August 25, 2006  The critical issue of Missile Defense now confronts our nation. The key questions remain: How mandatory is it? What is the threat that we need to protect ourselves against? What kind of system do we need? Is the one that is in the plans effective enough? How expensive will it be and how long will it take to build? And do we have the political will and leadership to get it done?   To discuss these issues with us today, we have assembled a distinguished panel. Our guests are: Thomas Karako, the Director of Programs...

The US military is relying ever more on space satellites to help wage combat in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, though analysts say that Washington's space supremacy could be threatened by rivals in the future. The Pentagon is using sophisticated satellites that orbit Earth in a bid to track down its enemies and keep a round-the-clock watch on unfriendly foes. The technological advantage can prove lethal, as witnessed by the recent air raid that killed the long-wanted Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "Space capabilities have revolutionized the way we fight today by providing our forces with battlefield situational...

U.S. Military, Commercial Space Assets Vulnerable To Attack: Experts Defense Daily 06/22/2006 Author: Dave Ahearn U.S. military and commercial satellites, long seen as above the fray and out of harm's way, are vulnerable to multiple types of attack, an assault that a determined enemy someday will attempt. So said military, government, industry and think tank experts testifying yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee strategic forces subcommittee. Defending against such an attack in the long-peaceful realm of space can be accomplished, but at a price: military, government and commercial satellite owners would have to provide more money to companies making...

Last Update: Tuesday, January 27, 2004. 1:03am (AEDT) Russia, US can collaborate in Mars exploration: Putin Russia and the United States can collaborate in exploring Mars, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US Secretary of State Colin Powell in talks on Monday. Congratulating the envoy on the US mission that has seen two probes land on the surface of the Red Planet in the past three weeks, Mr Putin said that Russia "has noted with interest President Bush's ambitious plans for the conquest of Mars," the Interfax news agency reported. "I believe that in this area there are things we can...

An American company is seeking India's cooperation in building the prototype of an airship that can combat cross-border terrorism and change the face of telecommunications and healthcare in the country. StratCom, a firm headed by Lt Gen James Abrahamson, the first director of the US "Star Wars" programme, is seeking India's partnership in the stratospheric airship project for its expertise in vehicle design, payloads and control systems. "India can demonstrate its leadership by partnering this programme. It has the right mixture of talent and the challenges it has faced," Abrahamson told a news conference in Bangalore on Thursday. Asked if...