The Deadly Missile that Flew into Space

With tensions escalating in the Space Race, the USSR was determined to develop the capability to destroy the satellites of opposing nations. Soviet experiments tinkered with many possible weapons, from military space stations to mechanical claws. Starting in the 1970s, they even developed ground-based laser Anti-satellite weapons, reportedly blinding U.S. spy satellites temporarily throughout the 70s and 80s.

As the U.S. Air Force tested its own counters to the Soviet developments and considered the need to disable its own out of date satellites, it planned an operation named Celestial Eagle. Instead of launching a space-based weapon, however, plans called for a highly unconventional deployment. The test flight would send Major Wilber Doug Pearson on a mission to destroy a satellite from an F-15A fighter using an air-to-space missile...

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Dark Space features the mysterious and little told stories of US, Soviet, and global space exploration from the dawn of the space race to today... all in the cinematic short documentary format we love to create. Subscribe today, and feel free to reach out with your own suggestions for new stories that you want us to bring to life. Thanks as always for your support.

Видео The Deadly Missile that Flew into Space канала Dark Space