The U.S. Army's desire to deploy swarms of tiny satellites for various tactical missions is one of the reasons it began development two years ago of what would be the United States' smallest orbital launch vehicle, designed to put payloads of about 20 kilograms into space, government and industry officials said. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Microsatellites, Tactical Satellites. 

China launched its sixth satellite this year, a spy satellite with a synthetic aperture radar system designed to observe locations all weather and lighting conditions. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: China, Spy Satellites. 

New research shows how solar sails could be used on satellites to levitate them above the existing Geostationary orbit, creating a whole new swath of orbital real-estate and potentially relieving existing overcrowding and international tensions. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Geostationary Orbit. 

The Indian Defense Research and Development Organization is working on a range of directed energy weapons, from laser dazzlers to control rioting crowds to high-powered lasers to destroy incoming missiles. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: India, Missile Defense. 

New research on changes in the Earth's upper atmosphere suggests space debris could remain in orbit for longer than expected. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Space Debris. 

Iran plans to launch its first astronauts into space by 2019, according to Reuters. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his country's intention to prepare a manned spaceflight last February, after its Kavoshgar 3 rocket carried several small animals into orbit. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Iran. 

A pair of experimental U.S. missile defense satellites has passed a series of vital tests in space, spotting three missile launches and successfully relaying data about their trajectories to observers on Earth. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Missile Defense, Space Situational Awareness. 

Dealing with space debris presents a thorny political issue that must be addressed, according to an international foundation's brief to the United Nations. Yet tensions between countries about the best way to deal with space junk could make a solution difficult, experts say. [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: International Cooperation, Space Debris. 

The U.S. government on July 13 told the United Nations that the new U.S. space policy represents "a departure" from the previous doctrine insofar as the United States will now at least consider proposals to prevent an arms race in space [ Quotes (2) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Arms Control, International Cooperation, Space Situational Awareness, U.S. National Space Policy. 

Shortcomings in existing proposals appear likely to delay establishment of a pact to curb the deployment of weapons in space, according to U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose [ Quotes (0) ] [ Comments (0) ]

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Keywords: Arms Control.