China destrói mais um satélite com mísseis, diz EUA

A China teria conseguido destruir mais um satélite usando mísseis baseados em terra, destaca reportagem do foreignpolicy.com.

O teste teria sido realizado em janeiro deste ano e seria a segunda vez que o governo chinês demonstra essa capacidade.

O primeiro satélite destruído em 2007 causou fortes reações do governo americano e outros países, informa a foreignpolicy.com.

In January 2007, China conducted the first successful test of its ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) system, destroying a derelict Chinese weather satellite and producing tens of thousands of pieces of debris that will present a hazard to space navigation for years to come. The Bush administration reacted strongly to the test, as did space-faring nations across the globe, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the European Union. The Chinese Foreign Ministry was caught flat-footed, first denying that the test had occurred and then, nearly two weeks later, issuing a bland statement.

In January 2010, China apparently conducted another successful test of its ASAT under the pretext of a ballistic missile defense experiment (even though the Defense Department's most recent report on Chinese military power does not discuss such a program). This time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry was ready, announcing not only that, "The test was defensive in nature and targeted at no country," but also helpfully noting that "The test would neither produce space debris in orbit nor pose a threat to the safety of orbiting spacecraft."