It is a hotly contested question, among the Union’s enemies, to what degree the last nation of the Old World maintains a presence in the orbital arena.
There is no question of either of the other two ultrapowers commanding such advanced technology, of course. During the First Defiance the mass exodus of the intelligentsia stripped the Regime of America’s scientific caste, and the Pantheon’s bellicose beginnings performed a similar function.
The brief reign of the so called Space King is thought to have brought about the destruction of all assets in place in 2155, so any Union satellites would have had to either survive his mania or have been launched since.
There is no question that the Union has the technology to put things in orbit. Equally, there is no question that no foreign spy has ever observed a launch, or found any information that would suggest that such a thing has taken place.
The Union’s government, of course, is silent on the subject. There is no advantage to be gained by boasting of such assets, after all.
Thus, the dilemma runs as follows.
The case for:
The Union MUST have satellites, because their scouting ability would confer an exceptional advantage, and the Union needs all the advantages that they can get. As for the the lack of observation, that merely means that they’ve developed a different, less conspicuous means of deployment. Perhaps an Ultra just flies them up.
The case against:
The Union MUST NOT have satellites, because they display no sign of satellite capabilities. They don’t launch orbital strikes, don’t seem to know the movements of their foes at all times, etc. Further, the reports which make no mention of satellite capabilities include the type of grade A intelligence assets that you’d think would be correct.
Such a consensus as there is, in this regard, is narrowly in favor of secret orbital devices. It is marginally easier to believe in an impossibly proficient Union than it is to believe in one so dim as to ignore the obvious advantages that the ultimate ‘high ground’ would offer.
If this is the case, one must wonder what reserves the Union is saving these devices for? The moon is a testament to their foe’s ability to strike the heavens, but if the Union is willing then there is no reason that the sky can’t strike back.
” It doesn’t launch orbital strikes, doesn’t seem to know the movements of its foes at all times, etc.” -> Should be “They don’t…their foes” to be consistent with the rest of the report. (Fine if this is meant to be informal, but it reads like a formal report.)
Well there’s an obvious answer: both their enemies have ultrahuman assets with Anti-Satellite capabilities. Such an asset would therefore only be usable once.