Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” often talked about in media?

(a) A hypersonic missile is -launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.

(b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.

(c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

(d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.’

Explanation

The correct answer is (c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth. Here’s a detailed explanation of each option:

(a) A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space: This option does not describe the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS). FOBS is a warhead delivery system that uses a low earth orbit towards its target destination.

(b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions: This option is not related to FOBS. FOBS is a warhead delivery system, not a spacecraft landing system.

(c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth: This option accurately describes FOBS. It is a warhead delivery system that uses a low earth orbit towards its target destination and deorbits through a retrograde engine burn just before reaching the target.

(d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface: This option is unrelated to FOBS, which is a warhead delivery system.

Learn more

Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) is a warhead delivery system that uses a low earth orbit towards its target destination.
FOBS was first developed by the Soviet Union as a nuclear-weapons delivery system in the 1960s.
The system concealed the target location until the payload was dropped out of orbit.
FOBS was capable of staying in orbit for several orbits, at most, due to the exceptionally low trajectory, but could separate its warhead from the FOBS vehicle at any given point in the orbit.
In 2021, the People’s Republic of China tested a weapon that combined a FOBS with a hypersonic glide vehicle.