Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” often talked about in media ?
A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.
A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.
A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2022
– It involved launching a warhead into a low Earth orbit, but not completing a full orbit (hence “fractional orbital”). The warhead would travel along a depressed trajectory, orbit the Earth for a fraction of a pass, and then deorbit and hit a target.
– The primary advantage was that it could approach a target from any direction, potentially bypassing missile defense systems that were primarily oriented to detect intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) coming over the North Pole.
– Option A describes a hypothetical asteroid defense scenario. Option B describes interplanetary spacecraft landing. Option D describes a spacecraft interacting with a comet.