US satellites successfully track ballistic missile from cradle to grave, don't pay for the flowers

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Lasers destroy missiles, missiles shoot down satellites, and soon, satellites may tell both where to aim, as the United States successfully managed to track an entire ballistic missile launch from "birth-to-death" with its prototype Space Tracking and Surveillance System. After a year and a half in orbit, two Northrop Grumman-built satellites managed the feat last week, in what the company's calling "the Holy Grail for missile defense." While we're not reading about any plans to mount any lasers on the satellite's... ahem... heads, Space News reports that the US Navy will attempt to relay the satellite tracking data to its Aegis ships with interceptor missiles on board, and hopefully obliterate incoming projectiles with the extra range and reaction time that satellite coordinates afford. The Navy has reportedly scheduled its first game of space-based Missile Command for next month.US satellites successfully track ballistic missile from cradle to grave, don't pay for the flowers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Space.com<!--//-->  |  Space News<!--//-->  | Email this | Comments

March 25, 2011, 6:46 am| Read full article | More articles from engadget.com