Thanks!
Can these satellites shoot stuff within a certain range? How do we know what area they would be able to impact?
I wish I knew more about this stuff.
The satellites weigh about 200 lbs and are probably the size of a kitchen dishwasher or refrigerator.
They are traveling at 17,500 mph. To come down, it would have to slow down by a few hundred miles per hour, just enough to reach the top of the atmosphere (about 75 mile up). Once it hits the atmosphere it starts slowing down faster and would probably land or burn up 1/3 orbit from where it started re-entry. If they wanted to drop something on Washington, DC, coming from the south, it would have to start re-entry over South America.
If it contained a nuke and wanted to do an EMP, it doesn’t have to come down from where it is. If the North Koreans have a satellite control at their embassy in Havana, they could set off the thing as it passes over the U.S.