By Zachary Keck
A new report “strongly suggests” that China secretly tested a new ASAT missile in May of last year.
A new report suggests that China secretly conducted an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test in May 2013.
On May 13, 2013, China launched a rocket into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. According to state-run media reports at the time, “The experiment was designed to investigate energetic particles and magnetic fields in the ionized stratum and near-Earth space. According to a preliminary analysis by the NSSC [National Space Science Center], the experiment has reached expected objectives by allowing scientists to obtain first-hand data regarding the space environment at different altitudes.”
Nearly immediately, U.S. officials speaking off the record began raising doubts about the supposed purpose of the test. Specifically, a U.S. defense official familiar with the intelligence told the Washington Free Beacon that China had actually tested its new ASAT missile, the Dong Ning-2. The official described the DN-2 as a ground-based, high earth-orbit attack missile. The Pentagon refused to officially voice these concerns, however.
A report published Monday (PDF) seems to validate the off-the-record suspicions. The report, which is based on an analysis of open sources, concludes that the available evidence “strongly suggests” China conducted an ASAT missile test in May 2013.
Read the full story at The Diplomat