A History of Anti-Satellite Programs

The report traces the history of ASAT programs, focusing on the United States and Russia/Soviet Union, while noting emerging capabilities in China and India. It details various technologies—including kinetic-kill, co-orbital, laser, and jamming systems—and assesses the risks of space debris and conflict escalation. The document also reviews diplomatic attempts to prevent an arms race in outer space, such as the Outer Space Treaty and various codes of conduct.

• The destruction of satellites creates significant space debris that can damage other orbital assets. A 1985 U.S. test destroying the Solwind satellite at 555 km produced over 250 trackable pieces of persistent debris and 800 to 900 smaller pieces at least 10 centimeters across, with the last tracked piece remaining in orbit until 2002.
• The Soviet Union developed a dedicated co-orbital ASAT system that used a 1,400-kilogram interceptor launched into the same orbit as a target to destroy it with shrapnel. This system was declared operational in February 1973 and remained so until its decommissioning in 1993.
• The United States pursued several ASAT technologies, including the Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle (ALMV) for kinetic kills, the ground-based Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL), and the kinetic-energy ASAT (KE-ASAT) program. Many of these were limited by congressional funding bans or internal military criticism regarding the risks of debris.
• Modern missile defense systems possess inherent ASAT capabilities because they are designed to destroy ballistic missile warheads at similar speeds and altitudes. The U.S. demonstrated this in February 2008 by using the Aegis sea-based system to destroy a nonresponsive satellite at 240 km.
• China and India have developed or expressed interest in hit-to-kill ASAT technology. China used a mobile ground-based missile to destroy one of its own weather satellites in January 2007, creating a large amount of persistent debris. India announced in January 2010 that it was developing a hit-to-kill system based on a laser sensor and exo-atmospheric kill vehicle.
• Diplomatic efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space (PAROS) have been hindered by consensus rules at the Conference on Disarmament and U.S. opposition to new legal regimes. While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans orbiting nuclear weapons, it does not explicitly prohibit attacks on satellites or the possession of non-nuclear space weapons.

APA

Grego, L. (2012). A History of Anti-Satellite Programs. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/a-history-of-ASAT-programs_lo-res.pdf

Chicago

Grego, Laura. A History of Anti-Satellite Programs. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2012. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/a-history-of-ASAT-programs_lo-res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grego |first1=Laura |title=A History of Anti-Satellite Programs |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=January 2012 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/a-history-of-ASAT-programs_lo-res.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grego2012history, author = {Grego, Laura}, title = {{A History of Anti-Satellite Programs}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2012}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/a-history-of-ASAT-programs_lo-res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }