[campchase]

I can’t comment on Griffin or the history of SDA, but proliferated LEO targets are much harder to take out with an ASAT than a small number of MEO or GEO satellites that are practically sitting ducks. If it costs ~$10M to take out a ~$1B asset, it’s gonna be the first thing to go in an apocalyptic scenario.

[georgeg23]

A LEO satellite can be hit directly with relatively cheap surface to air missiles in a matter of minutes (e.g., RIM-161). Getting to space for the ASAT takes much less energy than putting something into orbit. On the other hand, MEO and GEO satellites take a long time, many orbits, to interact with.. would even have enough time to summon ambassadors and ask questions.

For these "proliferated LEO constellations" an adversary just needs to punch a hole in the mesh immediately before launching an attack.

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/space-based-missile-defense...

The fact is, putting HAWC-style interceptors in space (that could also of course be used offensively) hovering over every country on Earth, is incredibly aggressive and provocative. Everything is accelerated and mistakes will be made on both sides. It's fundamentally destabilizing (as the link above concludes). We've been down this road before and collectively decided its a terrible idea (Brilliant Pebbles). Helping SDA means furthering a dangerous future.