ASA Space Intelligence Notes

2016-12 .. CONCERN FOR ACCESS TO SPACE DATA

We view with concern the continued access to free space data once the new US adminstration takes office. The US has been extremely benevolent with regard to providing the rest of world access to free meteorological, space weather and much other scientific data collected from space and ground based sensors. A user pays principle, which may be vital for the USA to do something about its crippling debt, could leave many countries in dire straits if adopted. Australian politicians in particular have never thought it necessary to support an indigeous satellite remote sensing system as long as we can access free data from US satellites. And if the US adopts such a policy, we can be sure that other countries will not be far behind. Be prepared for severely degraded 1-day out max weather forecasts if the Bureau of Meteorology loses access to satellite data.

2015-05 .. AUSTRALIAN BOOK ON SPACE SECURITY PUBLISHED

War in outer space will affect every nation state that has space assets. Significant reductions to the potential for space warfare might be beyond the political and strategic capacities of major States, and international law is a fragile deterrent. The book "Astro Reality : Avoiding conflict in outer space" by Roy Sach, and published by Echo Books explores new and different options to this problem. Dr Sach is a former Director of Defence Space.

2010-05-12 .. US SPACE POLICY REVISION - THE END OF AN ERA

The dramatic shift in US space policy that has been announced by the current US President does not bode well for the US manned space flight program in the next few years. The US is likely to be without domestic manned space capability for at least five years and probably longer. The goals for manned exploration beyond Earth orbit have been pushed back many years (and the goal of a lunar return eliminated with the oft repeated ludicrous argument about having done it before) to dates that will make them unreal to most of the (older) populations that support space exporation.
All of this is however is likely to be irrelevant when the next financial crisis collapses support for any US space program, and we sadly watch the demise of an empire, for we can be sure that no-one else will be as forthcoming and as generous about their space program as the US has been since 1957.

2009-03-05 .. RUSSIA NEXT TO CONDUCT ASAT TEST?

Associated Press has reported that General Valentin Popovkin stated that Russia is working to develop anti-satellite weapons to match efforts by other nations. General Popovkin was previously chief of the Russian Space Forces and is currently a Deputy Defence Minister.
The former Soviet Union has in fact conducted around 20 ASAT tests in the past using co-orbital satellites, but these comments may indicate the development of a new, possibly ground launched missile along the lines of those employed in Chinese and US ASAT tests in the last 2+ years.

2008-09-11 .. FINANCIAL CRISIS TO AFFECT SPACE PROGRAMS

The current global financial shock is bound to affect future space programs in the USA and Europe, particularly those in the civilian sector. Military and national security space programs may be expected to be affected less.