Defence News
China Develops Anti-Satellite Weapon
A group of Chinese scientists has developed a device capable of putting explosives into a satellite’s exhaust nozzle, the South China Morning Post has reported.
The robotic anti-satellite weapon employs a locking capability to stay inside a probe for an extended period and place melt-cast explosives that cause time-controlled explosions.
Weighing only 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds), the high-powered explosives are packed into a bullet-shaped device nearly similar to a de Laval nozzle. When detonated, the explosion damages a probe’s internal components while allowing its overall structure to remain intact.
Since the heat of the explosion can be partly converted to kinetic energy, satellite operators could mistake the blast for an engine malfunction.