Orbital bombardment is the act of attacking targets on a planet, moon or other such object from orbit around the object, rather than from an aircraft or a platform beyond orbit. It is most often encountered in fiction, but has been proposed as a means of attack for several real-world weapons systems concepts, including kinetic bombardment and as a nuclear delivery system. The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... Astronomical objects are significant physical entities, associations or structures which current science has confirmed to exist in space. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... “Flying Machine” redirects here. ... An illustration from Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland, depicting the fictional protagonist, Alice, playing a fantastical game of croquet. ... A kinetic bombardment is the act of attacking a planetary surface with an inert projectile, where the destructive force comes from the kinetic energy of the projectile impacting at very high velocities. ...

The Cold War

The Soviet Union deployed a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System from 1968-1983^{[citation needed]}. Using this system, a nuclear warhead could be placed in low Earth orbit, and later de-orbited to hit any location on the Earth's surface. While the Soviet Union deployed a working version of the system, they were forbidden by the Outer Space Treaty to place live warheads in space. The fractional orbital bombardment system was phased out in January 1983 in compliance with the SALT II treaty of 1979, which, among other things, prohibited the deployment of systems capable of placing weapons of mass destruction in orbit. Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) was a Soviet ICBM program in the 1960s that after launch would go into a low Earth orbit and would then de-orbit for an attack. ... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ... // The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies also known as the Outer Space Treaty (the Treaty), was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union (the three... nSALT II was a second round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks from 1972-1979 between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which sought to curtail the manufacture of strategic nuclear weapons. ... For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ...

Orbital bombardment systems with conventional warheads are permitted under the terms of SALT II^{[citation needed]}. Most such proposed systems rely on long rods dropped from orbit and depend on kinetic energy, rather than explosives, for their destructive power^{[citation needed]}.

In science fiction

Orbital bombardment systems occasionally feature in speculation and science fiction, and are in fact better known than their real-world counterparts. Typically, the assault is conducted by spacecraft as a part of interplanetary, rather than intraplanetary, warfare. Such a feat would require technology far surpassing modern capabilities. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The Space Shuttle Discovery as seen from the International Space Station. ... For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ...

An effective orbital bombardment is regarded as one of the most devastating forms of attack, surpassed only by destruction of planetary bodies or other astronomical objects.

Examples of orbital bombardments in science fiction

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• In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Imperial Navy issues a base delta zero order when an orbital bombardment is deemed necessary to subdue a rebellious planet. During a base delta zero operation, a planet's upper crust is reduced to molten slag, killing all but the most deeply sheltered life on the planet. This concept was first used by the Sith during the Jedi Civil War. The actual order was first adapted by Old Republic generals during the Clone Wars, and later by the Empire. There is some confusion, however, over the method with which such an operation was implemented, with some fans claiming that a single Star Destroyer was capable of carrying out a base delta zero order. However, the Imperial Sourcebook says a hundred ships are needed for such a bombardment, and that such a fleet would include several Star Destroyers. Further confusion stems from the book Scavenger Hunt, in which the combined firepower of three Star Destroyers ordered to slag a tiny rebel base only crater the surface of the small moon on which it was located, and left the main chamber of the base intact. The Imperial cleanup crews were surprised that no beings, living or dead, were found on the planet after the attack
• In the new Battlestar Galactica series the catastrophic bombardment of the Twelve Colonies is carried out using nuclear weapons in huge numbers.
• In the Babylon 5 series, the Centauri employed orbital bombardment (mass drivers) against the Narn homeworld. Also, at the end of the Earth Alliance Civil War, President Clark set the G.O.D. (Global Orbital Defense) satellites to bombard Earth with particle beams. The satellites were destroyed before this could happen. The Shadows used a convoluted "death cloud" orbital bombardment mechanism which is basically an enormous superstructure capable of easily engulfing an Earth-sized planet and then proceed to rain missiles onto the planet. While their nemesis, the Vorlons, preferred to basically obliterate a planet by means of a powerful energy blast created by their own planet killer, the Shadows (with their philosophy of chaos) employed this weapon with the express purpose of causing turmoil (rather than the methodical one-hit move of the Vorlon planet killer). The Drakh, servants of the Shadows, used a planet killer against the planet Daltron 7 five years after the end of the Shadow war. Finally, the Narns and the Drazi organized a devastating bombardment of the Centauri homeworld after evidence of the Centauri being behind the attacks on Interstellar Alliance starships and jumpgates (which later turned out to be the machinations of the Drakh).
• In the Battletech universe, the city of Edo on the Draconis Combine planet of Turtle Bay is destroyed from orbit by invading Clan Smoke Jaguar forces in retaliation for resistance to their occupation.
• In the Traveller universe, assault units of the 3rd Imperium's Imperial Marines are routinely deployed from orbiting spacecraft while wearing "Battledress" (or "powered armor") via a mass driver-like weapon, by strapping themselves onto a half-sphere of rock approximately 2 meters in diameter. While functioning as an effective heat shield, the rock continues on its terminal descent after the Marine drops away, causing great damage on impact.
• In the Homeworld universe, the Taiidan bombard the Kushan planet Kharak, destroying the atmosphere and thus killing every Kushan apart from the ones who were off-world. In its sequel, the Vaygr use heavy missile bombardment against major Hiigaran cities, eventually unsuccessfully utilizing the same weapons as the Taiidan.
• In the Star Trek television franchise which includes the computer games Star Trek: Armada II and Star Trek Elite Force II, orbital bombardment is sometimes used to support ground operations. The Star Trek: TOS episode A Taste of Armageddon also revealed the existence of a Bombardment protocol utilized by Starfleet known as General Order #24, in which a single Starship can eliminate all traces of civilization from a planetary surface, albeit the length of time needed to achieve this is unclear.
• Another instance of orbital bombardment in Star Trek was used during the Dominion War agions the Founders home planet. However, this attack was unsuccessful.
• In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Contagion, the Enterprise crew discovers Iconia, a planet that underwent massive orbital bombardment. Only one structure on the entire planet survived the assault.
• In the Command & Conquer series of games, the Global Defense Initiative's ion cannon is used for the orbital bombardment of installations belonging to the Brotherhood of Nod.
• The Master of Orion game series allows the player to use starships to drop powerful warheads on enemy colonies to either destroy the colony or soften up its defenses for an invasion. Master of Orion II features a powerful plasma cannon called the Stellar Converter which, when fired at a planet, completely obliterates it.
• In the Galactic Civilizations series of games, one of the options during an invasion of an enemy planet/system is to bombard the planet(s) with asteroids before sending in the troops. This, however, severely decreases the planet's (s') quality.
• The only way to take over a planet in the game Haegemonia: Legions of Iron is to literally "bomb it into submission". If the population is too low, the planet is depopulated.
• The game Sword of the Stars allows nearly all weapons to be used to bombard a planet from space. The weapon most effective in the task is the Siege Driver, which hurls asteroids at the planet. Different weapons cause different type of damage to the planet. For example, after a Siege Driver bombardment, a planet is rarely habitable again, as its environment is completely destroyed. Laser bombardment, on the other hand, is much "cleaner", allowing for surgical strikes to specifically eliminate population centers and leave much of the infrastructure intact.
• In the TV series Andromeda, most large ships are capable of bombarding a planet from orbit. The Glorious Heritage-class heavy cruiser Andromeda Ascendant, for example, can completely depopulate a planet in under 2 minutes with its kinetic missiles. Also, Nietzscheans can use a weapon called the Maximm Charge to destroy a planet.
• In the Starcraft universe, the Terran Fleet bombards Korhal IV with nuclear weapons, reducing it to slag. The Protoss fleet also uses a massive beam of plasma to incinerate planets infested by the Zerg.
• In the Dark Reign PC game, the introductory movie featured 'The Desiccator' which was a satellite weapon launched from a space ship. The weapon could burn up the surface of an entire planet in a matter of minutes by consuming all of the planet's moisture.
• In the Battlefield 2142 PC game, a commander can launch an orbital bombardment for tactical purposes as barraging or destroying designated targets.
• In the Quake Wars PC game, The Strogg Field Ops unit can deploy an orbital laser attack named 'The Violator Beam' for tactical purposes as destroying designated units and vehicles.
• In the Stargate Atlantis episode First Strike, 6 nuclear warheads in the gigaton range are launched from orbit to destroy space ships on the ground and the surrounding area. Roughly 1/2 of a continent is covered by the blast waves.
  • As a retaliation for the attack, the Asurans used an orbital weapon of their own to attack Atlantis - a probe containing a stargate which, when activated, directed a powerful energy beam from ther other side of the wormhole at the city. The energy from the beam was also used to power the probe's shields and keep the gate active indefinitely.
• In the novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress mass drivers are used by Lunar rebels to launch artificial meteorites in an orbital bombardment of the Earth.
• In the story Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds, alien machines convert a planet's star into a kind of "solar flamethrower" and use it to bombard a human colony.
• In the game Unreal Tournament 2003, as well as its sequel Unreal Tournament 2004, the Ion Painter is a weapon used to designate a target, upon which an orbiting Ion Cannon opens fire, which completely annihilates the target and anything in relative proximity, not excluding the user of the Ion Painter.
• In the game Ratchet: Deadlocked, the Harbinger, later upgraded to the Supernova, paints a series of targets in a straight line away from the user of the weapon. Within a few seconds, a series of beams of immense strength are shot down from space, destroying anything in their path.

Image File history File links Information. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Within the Star Wars universe, the term Sith is used to describe two separate but related groups. ... The Jedi Civil War is a conflict in the fictional Star Wars galaxy that took place 3,956 years before the Battle of Yavin, as seen in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. ... Form of Government Federal Republic--Unicameral--Parliamentary Official language Basic Capital Coruscant Judicial Branch Supreme Court Legislative and Executive Branch Galactic Senate Senate Chair and Head of State Supreme Chancellor Assistant Senate Head Vice Chair Establishment 25,000 BBY Reorganization into the Galactic Empire 19 BBY Re-establishment 5 ABY... A scene from Attack of the Clones depicting the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the Clone Wars The Clone Wars (also known as the Clone War) are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucass science fiction saga Star Wars. ... The Galactic Empire is the main antagonist in the Star Wars universe. ... A group of Imperial Star Destroyers. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... The Twelve Colonies of Man or Twelve Colonies of Kobol constitute the main human civilization in the fictional universe of the original 1978 science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica, and in the subsequent miniseries (2003) and series remake (2004). ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari in Babylon 5 The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... Andreas Katsulas as GKar in Babylon 5 The Narns are a race of humanoid aliens in the television series Babylon 5. ... The Earth Alliance Civil War is an armed conflict in the Babylon 5 series, in which President Clark dissolves the Earth senate and orders martial law throughout the Earth Alliance worlds. ... In the Science Fiction series Babylon 5, William Morgan Clark was the president of the Earth Alliance. ... Earth In the Babylon 5 universe, Earth was located in a relatively uncontested portion of the Galaxy. ... A particle beam is an accelerated stream of charged particles or atoms (often moving at very near the speed of light) which may be directed by magnets and focused by electrostatic lenses, although they may also be self-focusing (see Pinch). ... The Shadows are an ancient alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ... The Vorlons are an advanced ancient race from the science fiction series Babylon 5. ... 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It has been suggested that the section Exoskeletons in modern and near-future technology from the article Exoskeleton be merged into this article or section. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... Star Trek: Armada II is a computer game published by Activision, based upon the Star Trek universe. ... Star Trek Elite Force 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Ritual Entertainment and published by Activision. ... A Taste of Armageddon is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Contagion is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation first broadcast on March 20, 1989. ... Command & Conquer is the original title in Westwood Studios Command & Conquer franchise of real-time strategy video games. ... The UNGDI, or fully the United Nations Global Defense Initiative, is a fictional militarized branch of the United Nations which is prominently featured in the real-time strategy video games of Command & Conquer, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and its expansion pack Firestorm, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, and the first... This article is about large scale ion beam weapons in science fiction. ... The Brotherhood of Nod, often simply referred to as Nod or The Brotherhood, is one of three prominent fictional factions in the Tiberian series of Westwood Studios Command & Conquer real-time strategy video games. ... Master of Orion (MOO or MoO) is a turn-based science fiction computer strategy game designed by by Steve Barcia, developed by Barcias company Simtex and published by Microprose in 1993. ... Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (MOO2) was the first sequel to Master of Orion. ... GalCiv for OS/2 Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based strategy computer game developed by Stardock and released in March, 2003 for Windows—an earlier version was released for OS/2 in 1994. ... Sword of the Stars is a space 4X game by small developer Kerberos Productions. ... Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda is an American science fiction television series, based on unused material by Gene Roddenberry developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced posthumously by his widow, Majel Roddenberry. ... A Glorious Heritage Class Heavy Cruiser The Glorious Heritage Heavy Cruiser is a fictional starship class in the television series Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda. ... HMS Raleigh a Hawkins class cruiser around which the treaty limits for Heavy cruisers were written. ... The Andromeda Ascendant is a fictional starship in the television series Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda. ... 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Heinlein about a lunar penal colonys revolt against rule from Earth. ... A mass driver for lunar launch (artists conception) A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a method of spacecraft propulsion that would use a linear motor to accelerate payloads up to high speeds. ... Redemption Ark is a 2002 hard science fiction space opera novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. ... Alastair Reynolds (born in 1966 in Barry, South Wales) is a Welsh science fiction author. ... Unreal Tournament 2003 or UT2003 is a first-person shooter video game designed mainly for multiplayer gaming although the game had a built in single-player mode that mimics multiplayer gaming by featuring AI-bots. ... Unreal Tournament 2004, also known as UT2004 or UT2K4, is a futuristic first-person shooter computer game designed primarily for online multiplayer gaming. ... This article is about large scale ion beam weapons in science fiction. ...

See also

• Kinetic bombardment
• Orbital weaponry
• Relativistic kill vehicle
• Space warfare
• Space weapon
• Mass drivers