The U.S. Defense Department called a May 2013 launch of a Chinese rocket suspicious, according to Space.com, and thought perhaps the launch was to test satellite destroying technology. China said the rocket was involved in a scientific mission, but the U.S. Air Force didn't buy that, saying that the trajectory of the rocket was inconsistent with China's story.
On May 8, the Pentagon released its latest "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2015." "The launch profile was not consistent with traditional space-launch vehicles, ballistic missiles or sounding rocket launches used for scientific research," the report said. "It could, however, have been a test of technologies with a counterspace mission in geosynchronous orbit."
In 2007, China deliberately destroyed one of its own low-orbiting satellites with a missile launched from the ground. In 2014, another anti-satellite test was conducted, but this time, there was no destruction. The Chinese called the 2014 launch a missile defense test, but the Pentagon said the 2014 launch had a "similar profile" to the 2007 launch.
Another low-orbit launch occurred in 2013, according to Reuters. China claimed the payload included science equipment to study the Earth's magnetosphere, but the Pentagon maintains that the trajectory and orbit was consistent with anti-satellite testing.
"The launch appeared to be on a ballistic trajectory nearly to geosynchronous Earth orbit," Lt. Col. Monica Matoush, a Pentagon spokeswoman, wrote in an email to SpaceNews on May 16, 2013. "We tracked several objects during the flight but did not observe the insertion of any objects into orbit and no objects associated with this launch remain in space. Based upon observations, we assess that the objects re-entered the atmosphere above the Indian Ocean."
Could this game be the reason behind Wednesday's mysterious space plane launch?
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