U.S. Ground-Based Laser Hits Satellite

In a controversial test that offers new proof of the vulnerability of the world’s growing fleet of satellites, a ground-based Army laser has struck a U.S. satellite orbiting 260 miles above the earth. Pentagon officials said that, after two false starts in recent weeks, the six-foot-wide infrared beam of the huge Miracl laser struck the military’s MISTI-3 on Friday. The Pentagon has portrayed the test as a defensive step intended to gather data on the vulnerability of the U.S. satellite fleet, by far the largest in the world. But critics fear the start of a new space arms race.