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posted by martyb on Friday July 26 2019, @03:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-collateral-damage? dept.

To protect its satellites, France outlines ambitious space-weapons program

After French President Emmanuel Macron called for a space high command to protect his nation's satellites earlier this month, military officials on Thursday released their plans in more detail.

As reported in the French financial newspaper Les Echos, the French Defense Minister, Florence Parly, outlined a new space weapons program that would allow the country to move from space surveillance to the active protection of its satellites.

"France is not embarking on a space arms race," Parly said, according to the publication. However, the projects outlined Thursday by French officials include swarms of nano-satellites that would patrol a few kilometers around French satellites, a ground-based laser system to blind snooping satellites, and perhaps even machine guns on board some satellites.

Parly said one of the country's biggest challenges would be to develop these capabilities with about one-tenth of the budget that the US spends on civil and defense space activities.

Troupes de espace marine.


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  • (Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Friday July 26 2019, @04:10PM (2 children)

    by Rupert Pupnick (7277) on Friday July 26 2019, @04:10PM (#871534) Journal

    Maybe the United States Space Force can help...

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday July 26 2019, @08:23PM (1 child)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 26 2019, @08:23PM (#871608) Journal

    Why, oh why, oh why didn't they name them

    Space Cadets ?

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by martyb on Saturday July 27 2019, @02:33PM

      by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Saturday July 27 2019, @02:33PM (#871925) Journal

      Why, oh why, oh why didn't they name them

      Space Cadets ?

      Because that would be a "bad move space cadet" [wikipedia.org]?

      =)

      --
      Wit is intellect, dancing.