[Weeenion]

I'm curious if you could destroy a SpaceX Satelite with a basic laser pointers. Easily enough for normal state actors and some university or engineering lab.

You need only to track it and shoot your laser up there (its only 500km) and if it can't dissipate the energy fast enough, it would overheat.

[aerostable_slug]

The Russians have laser dazzlers designed to degrade/"jam" electro-optical imaging satellites. These are currently mounted to trucks and at least one airborne testbed. They are significantly more powerful than laser pointers and they have a prayer of accurately pointing the beam to hit the targeted satellites.

That said, they are dazzlers and not destroyers — they're designed to prevent American recce satellites from cuing American strategic bombers to the location of mobile missile launchers, so just dazzling the satellite's primary sensor accomplishes their task. Of course, that won't work against space-based SAR, but they have RF jammers (and decoys) for that.

[cantor_S_drug]

A simple way would be to send up a satellite filled with "bullets" in the orbit. At the opportune moment, the satellite will fire these bullets and they will place themselves in the paths of these satellites (no need to track and target the satellites, the satellites will fly towards the bullets as their paths are fixed), boom space debris and subsequent chain reaction.

[thisislife2]

Already done 40+ years ago by Soviet Russia - the Salyut-3 carried a self-defence gun that fired in orbit called the Almaz Space Cannon: https://www.russianspaceweb.com/almaz_ops2.html

[HelloNurse]

Are you kidding? Are you comparing a hobby project like shooting a laser from the ground, using a precise servo mount to track the target, vs. flying to space a large payload and then shoot bullets with enough precision to hit the target and enough speed to damage it? It would be vastly larger (including the necessary rocket) and more expensive.

[IT4MD]

A. This leaves a semi-permanent hazard in orbit for all other satellites. (Semi, because it can be cleaned up, but it's difficult, expensive and no laws require the idiots that do this to clean it up)

B. The Russians already have this tech and have "practiced" with it a few times, so have already added untold hazards in orbit.

C. The people that cause these problems, ignore the hazards left behind and let others simply die.

This is a horrific idea and not new. Let's not do more of it.

[RobotToaster]

If your laser pointer is a few megawatts sure.

[BobbyTables2]

Try destroying a can of soda with a laser pointer first…

[__alexs]

Not too hard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBVlL0FNbSE

[Weeenion]

Does your laser pointer has a hard upper Watt limit?

Consumer grade / privat buyable laser can easily be bought.

And would i destroy a soda can by overheating it slowly and steadily because the can has no easy way of dissipating heat and has electronics in it which are not heat resistent?

[Razengan]

Can I drink the soda first?

Oh come on you guys I thought this would be my ticket to 6000 ;—;

[dotnet00]

Seems like a pretty bad idea to be pointing a laser at the sky unless you're a government and can do the stuff necessary to not inadvertently blind pilots.