Japan continues to push for the militarization of space.
According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has begun developing a demonstrator to introduce "guard (protective) satellites" to protect Japan's artificial satellites from "killer (satellite attack) satellites" from other countries. As China and Russia continue to develop advanced satellites, they plan to launch a small demonstrator by fiscal year 2029 to strengthen their defense system in outer space.
Killer satellites approach target satellites and interfere with them using mechanical arms or neutralize their functions with electromagnetic waves. If communication satellites operated by the Self-Defense Forces are damaged, it is expected that communications between units will be interrupted, which could have serious implications for Japan's security.
The guard satellites are designed to have the capability to interrupt the path of foreign killer satellites attempting to approach Japan's satellites and prevent them from getting close. To prevent physical attacks, the demonstration tests will confirm whether it can maneuver and move without problems at an altitude of about 36,000 kilometers and meters in the geostationary orbit.
In outer space, in addition to the activities of killer satellites, enhancing surveillance is also an issue to avoid more space debris (space debris) colliding with satellites due to satellite destruction experiments conducted by China and Russia. It is also planned to launch the first "Space Domain Awareness (SDA) satellite" in fiscal year 26 to check if it poses a threat to Japan. It is expected that the camera installed on the demonstrator will be able to take photos of satellites and other equipment, and it is hoped that it will play a role in supplementing monitoring capabilities in the future.
The Ministry of Defense plans to invest approximately 7 billion yen over three years before fiscal year 27 to develop the demonstrator, and it is scheduled to be launched in fiscal year 29. When requesting the next year's budget estimate, several hundred million yen are also set aside as preparation costs for full introduction.
Regarding strengthening the defense capabilities in outer space, the Space Department explicitly stated in its "Guidelines for Defense in the Space Domain" issued in July that "we will deepen the review of satellite protection" and pointed out the need to respond.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842245858680960/
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