A-SAT defense system

The A-SAT control center in Goddard Space Center, the heart of the A-SAT systems

The A-SAT defense system was a network of orbital anti-satellite and anti-missile systems constructed by the Global Defense Initiative in the years leading to the Third Tiberium War in 2047.

History

A space command uplink, used by GDI forward bases to request orbital support

Following the Second Tiberium War and the Firestorm Conflict, GDI adopted a new strategy, relying on a high-low mix of cutting-edge weapons and command & control systems in space coupled with rugged, cost-effective weapon systems on the ground. To that end, they invested heavily in space technology, creating the most sophisticated anti-satellite/anti-missile defense system in history.

This ASAT/ABM system consisted of a network of space-based kinetic kill weapons, lasers, and the ion cannon battle stations, acting as an impenetrable shield for GDI's orbital weapons platforms, command & control stations, and spy satellites. Because of this system, GDI's space assets remained out of reach for the Brotherhood of Nod for years.

An ion cannon battle station in 2047

However, this changed in 2046, when Nod acquired the blueprints for the ion cannon network during a raid on GDI's Johannesburg research center. After analyzing the blueprints, Nod discovered that the crews and control centers for the ion cannons and the A-SAT system were all located in a single ground-based facility: Goddard Space Center in the northeastern Blue Zone. Even Nod was baffled by the existence of this glaring weakness. This was later revealed to be due to cost concerns: due to the vast computing and communication requirements, placing the control systems in space would require the construction of a new orbital platform, which would cost tens of billions of credits.

The destruction of the Philadelphia

In March, 2047, during GDI's Annual Energy Summit, when all of its top leaders gathered in the space station GDSS Philadelphia, Nod launched an attack on Goddard Space Center and destroyed the A-SAT control center, paralyzing GDI's ion cannon network and anti-missile defenses. Immediately after, Nod launched a nuclear missile at the Philadelphia from an underground missile silo in Cairo, destroying the space station and killing much of GDI's leadership.

In the aftermath of the Philadelphia's destruction, GDI's ion cannon network remained offline, allowing Nod forces to launch a coordinated attack on every Blue Zone in the world without fearing orbital retaliation, exactly as Nod had predicted. However, despite being initially caught off guard, GDI forces were able to regroup and counterattack faster than Nod anticipated. Five weeks after the initial attack, GDI forces were able to drive Nod out of a number of Blue Zones and even began destroying Nod strongholds in Yellow Zones.

By the time GDI launched its second attack on Temple Prime, Nod's headquarters, repairs on the ion cannon network and the A-SAT defense system were complete. After the ion cannon strike on Temple Prime triggered a massive liquid Tiberium detonation, six unidentified flying objects began approcahing Earth from beyond Neptune. On Director Redmond Boyle's order, all ion cannons in the western hemisphere were fired at the UFOs, causing them to split into 39 drone ships, which then landed in every Red Zone on the planet.

In-game

Main article: A-SAT defense center

In the Global Conquest mode of Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, GDI has access to the A-SAT defense center strategic building, which grants the Sky Sentry support power.

Behind the Scenes

• "ASAT" stands for "anti-satellite", meaning weapon systems designed to attack satellites. However, throughout Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, GDI's A-SAT defense system was almost exclusively referred to and described as an anti-missile system. Though the Technology in 2047 blogpost described the system as an "anti-satellite/anti-missile defense system".