Laser Strike at Satellite Derailed
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Bad weather and faulty software have derailed a Pentagon plan to strike a satellite with a powerful ground-based laser, probably ending a controversial program that arms-control advocates feared might set off a new arms race. Pentagon officials said the experiment, which would have been the first test of a laser’s satellite-killing capabilities, was postponed Saturday for a software glitch and Monday night because of cloud cover. The so-called Miracl laser is based at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
