Cynebury Accord: Difference between revisions

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==Background==
==Background==
[[File:Kevatuul from 2nd stage.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Kevatuul photographed from the 2nd stage of the Alus rocket manoeuvring into retrograde orientation]]
[[File:Kevatuul from 2nd stage.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Kevatuul photographed from the 2nd stage of the Alus rocket manoeuvring into retrograde orientation]]
[[File:ASM-135 ASAT_5.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The Steorran Spere test]]Concerns over the exploration of space first popped up amid the tensions of the Auroran Cold War, which brought the [[w:intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missile]] (ICBM) into being. The Auroran Space Race, which used rockets derived from ICBMs, also lead to various proposals for the militarization of space, like orbital bombardment satellites. As a countermeasure to such satellites, various proposals for [[w:anti-satellite weapons|anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons]] were created, some of which progressed into active development.
[[File:ASM-135 ASAT_5.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The Steorran Spere test]]Concerns over the exploration of space first popped up amid the tensions of the Auroran Cold War, which brought the [[w:intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missile]] (ICBM) into being. The Auroran Space Race, which used rockets derived from ICBMs, also lead to various proposals for the militarization of space, such as satellites in polar orbits carrying numerous independently warheads capable or orbital bombardment on a moments notice. As a countermeasure to such satellites, various proposals for [[w:anti-satellite weapons|anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons]] were created, some of which progressed into active development.


[[File:Hiroshima after the Atom Bomb Strike 1945 taken by sailors of USS Tuscaloosa - Clean and Colored.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Devastation from Kevatuul]]
[[File:Hiroshima after the Atom Bomb Strike 1945 taken by sailors of USS Tuscaloosa - Clean and Colored.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Devastation from Kevatuul]]


In the [[Auroran Imperial War]], [[Noroist Axdel]] constructed and deployed an orbital bombardment weapon named [[Kevatuul (Satellite)|Kevatuul]] after a [[Kozam]] deity of the night sky. It was intended as a first strike system to attack military bases and fleets in case of a [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlian]] invasion of Axdel. However, in 1975, three Emberite intelligence agents were discovered attempting to sabotage the weapon. The agents were mistaken for [[Ethalria|Ethalrians]], which led to an overzealous commanding officer having Kevatuul fire 6 missiles at Ribenstadt and its surrounding installations. The effect of this was devastating, as the warheads detonated in an airburst fashion to maximise their destructive effect. Ribenstadt was devastated, and hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers alike were killed.
In the [[Auroran Imperial War]], [[Noroist Axdel]] constructed and deployed the first such orbital bombardment weapon, named [[Kevatuul (Satellite)|Kevatuul]] after a [[Kozam]] deity of the night sky. It was intended as a first strike system to attack military bases and fleets in case of a [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlian]] invasion of Axdel. However, in 1975, three [[Emberwood Coast|Emberitian]] intelligence agents were discovered attempting to sabotage the weapon. As relations between the allies had been degrading since 1973, the agents were mistaken for [[Ethalria|Ethalrians]], a suspicion exacerbated by a confrontation and communication breakdown between their leaderships. This incident led to an overzealous commanding officer having Kevatuul fire 6 missiles at Ribenstadt and its surrounding roads and railway lines leading into the city. The effect of this was devastating, as the warheads detonated in an airburst fashion to maximise their destructive effect. Ribenstadt was devastated, with millions left homeless and hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers alike were killed; both by the detonations and the subsequent unprecedented humanitarian disaster.


As a result of this event, a cease-fire was promptly established and talks between the nations in the AIW began, with the Weyrciff Pact being signed later that year. Kevatuul was deorbited, breaking apart over the southern ocean where some debris was recovered
A cease-fire was immediately declared by Morstaybishlia in order to prevent further confusion, escalation and stop any retaliatory strikes. Talks between the belligerent nations of the AIW began, and as a result the Weyrciff Pact was signed later that year. As part of the peace agreement, Kevatuul was deorbited, breaking apart over the southern ocean where some debris was recovered


The destruction of Ribenstadt greatly heightened concerns over the future of space, a fear that was compounded when, on October 2, the Tretridian Air Force performed the Steorran Spere ({{literal translation|Spear of Stars}}) test. In the test shot, an aircraft fired an ASAT missile, successfully destroying the target, a decommissioned research satellite. About 300 pieces of space debris was created from the destruction of the satellite in what would be the only recorded use or test of an ASAT weapon in history. Some pieces of debris from the test would persist in low Urth orbit until the 2000s.
The destruction of Ribenstadt greatly heightened concerns over the future militarization of space, a fear that was compounded when, on October 2, the Tretridian Air Force performed the Steorran Spere ({{literal translation|Spear of Stars}}) test. In the test shot, an aircraft fired an ASAT missile, successfully destroying the target, a decommissioned research satellite. About 300 pieces of space debris was created from the destruction of the satellite in what would be the only recorded use or test of an ASAT weapon in history. Some pieces of debris from the test would persist in low Urth orbit until the 2000s.


Furthermore, a paper released about a month earlier proposed that the accumulation of [[w:space debris|space debris]] could be much more dangerous to space exploration than previously believed, through a proposed mechanism called [[w:Kessler syndrome|collisional cascading]]. The high number of debris created by a single ASAT shot, along with the likely radiological hazard from the use of ASAT weapons against a station like Kevatuul, created fears that the militarization of space would not only endanger sapient life (as had been demonstrated by the Kevatuul strikes) but also endanger the future of spaceflight. These concerns culminated in the signing and eventual ratification of the Cynebury Accord.
Furthermore, a paper released about a month earlier proposed that the accumulation of [[w:space debris|space debris]] could be much more dangerous to space exploration than previously believed, through a proposed mechanism called [[w:Kessler syndrome|collisional cascading]]. The high number of debris created by a single ASAT shot, along with the likely radiological hazard from the use of ASAT weapons against a station like Kevatuul, created fears that the militarization of space would not only endanger sapient life (as had been demonstrated by the Kevatuul strikes) but also endanger the future of spaceflight. These concerns culminated in the signing and eventual ratification of the Cynebury Accord.