In this week’s issue of The Space Review I review a book about space weaponization, War in Heaven. The book is from two anti-weaponization advocates, so the arguments in it are predictable, including criticism of the new national space policy and efforts by the US military perceived as moving towards using and/or stationing weapons in space. The book’s biggest flaw is, to some degree, beyond the authors’ control: the book went to the printers before China’s ASAT test was announced, which undermines a lot of the arguments they put forward. There are also some odd arguments (like where they claim that the any country that attacked US satellites faced “their own nuclear annihilation”), not to mention some factual flaws. While it’s a timely topic, this book isn’t likely to change that many minds, particularly those with conservative or even moderate political beliefs.
Of course it was under their control. It wasn’t necessary to actually see the Chinese do a test to know that they could if they chose to. They made flawed arguments based on wishful thinking, rather than reality.