The ASM-135 ASAT is an air-launched anti-satellite multi stage missile from the cold war era. It is launched from a F-15A fighter jet making a supersonic zoom climb at an angle of 65 degree. It used infrared sensors to home in on the target satellite. However, it did not know its own position and attitude with respect to the satellite and basically just kept its head in the direction of the target.
It was test-launched from a F-15 at an altitude of 12 km on 13 September 1985 and successfully destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite flying at an altitude of 555 km by hitting it with a relative speed of 6.6 km/s (24,000 km/h).
Quite amazing that it was able to hit the satellite.
1 comment:
cool picture!
Indeed impressive it was capable of hitting the satellite at 6.6 km/s
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