“The wiki description talked about starting from orbit at Mach 10, noted that drags slows that down “considerably””
Additional onboard thrust (engine) could also enhance impact speed.
Yes but that is not the rods from god concept, which says you can take a fairly simple tungsten rod with a guidance system and let gravity do the work.
Now its a spaced base missile, Much more expensive, just as predictable and detectable from a defensive stance (you can see where it is and know when you are vulnerable from the orbit physics), still susceptible to being shot down, disabled, or just plain aging out (cheap satellite systems don’t live long in the space environment, and the expensive ones have failures as well. Basically space is still hard.)
This is why there is so much focus on hypersonics. You keep the system on the ground where it can be maintained until needed, and you are anywhere on the planet in 20 minutes (or so they say, as I don’t really work on hypersonics).
BTW - I love your wall threads. Keep’em comin’.