China launches suspected anti-satellite weapon into space

China has launched a new satellite that analysts say can be used as a weapon capable of grabbing and crushing American satellites. The Shijian-21 satellite was sent aloft on Sunday atop a rocket booster from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, ostensibly for cleaning “space debris.” The satellite reportedly is “tasked with demonstrating technologies to alleviate and neutralize space debris.” The robotic satellite launch followed a suspected recent test of a new hypersonic missile that Chinese officials said was a peaceful space experiment. The commander of the U.S. Space Command, Air Force Gen. James Dickinson told Congress in April that spacecraft like the Shijian-21 is part of an effort by China to seek “space superiority through space and space-attack systems.”… (Excerpts from the  Washington Times)