What about Russia? Best regards RA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Russell McMahon" To: Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 10:14 AM Subject: Re: [OT]: U.S. 'negation' policy in space raises concerns abroad > > How many nations HAVE satellite (GSO?) capability? It seems to be a > > rather cozy in-group with a lot of technology-sharing (so far) (Nation-A > > satellite launched on Nation-B booster with nation-C GSO insertion final > > stage), and it's a bit hard to be sure which nations could do something > > nasty on their own... > > Out of my head. > Probably some major errors. > > US / CSSR > Europe (France / ESA) / China > Japan > Israel > India > Pakistan > Korea > come to mind in about that order. > Sure to have missed someone. > > ALL can reach LEO in a suborbital capability. > (N Korea have lobbed a missile ACROSS Japan - this MAY have been a failed > LEO attempt). > Down to India and probably more can orbit LEO. > Down to Japan can orbit GSO and probably down to India. > Down to India can reach GSO suborbital - ie can do comm sat killer. > > UK had sat capability but is history. > Private UK firms could do LEO killers now if desired. > > ANYONE can do LEO killer in say 5 years from standing start. > Some sort of guidance based weapons history helps. > > Give me 5 years and $10 million and I can do LEO :-) > > A very clever developer could do most of an LEO development or a GSO killer > covertly with very minimal testing. > > IRAQ would have had LEO killer capability if it had wished - it takes an > aircraft launched missile. > > LEO is MUCH harder than LEO killer. > GSO killer is not too much harder than LEO killer and is on a par with LEO. > GSO is substantially harder than LEO. > > At one stage Libya was (indirectly via OTRAG) going for LEO capability. US > shut them down politically. > > Lots of countries have small to medium weapons industries which could turn > to LEO/GSO killer capability if the perceived need arose. (Italy, Sweden, > Argentina, ....). If someone chose to help you (CSR, China, ...) the task > could get a lot easier. > > > Russell McMahon > > -- > http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList > mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu > -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu