Chinese 'Star Wars' Missile Test Heralds New Space Arms Race

The White House reacted with alarm and anger last night after China successfully destroyed a satellite with a ballistic missile, the first space test of such offensive military technology by any nation in more than 20 years. Using a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile, the test knocked out an ageing Chinese weather satellite 537 miles above the Earth on January 11 through “kinetic impact”, or by slamming into it, Gordon Johndroe, President Bush’s national security spokesman, said.