Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was going to say, not out of range of anti-satellite missiles, at least at a low perigee... But maybe it's zipping too fast there to be easily shot down? Whereas at apogee, when it's slow, it's also very far away.
> But maybe it's zipping too fast there to be easily shot down? A satellite in LEO already has a speed of about 8 km/s. The highest speed of a satellite in a highly elliptical orbit is 11 km/s. It you can shoot a satellite at 8 km/s, you probably can also shoot it at 11 km/s. The problem is, of course, that the perigee of a satellite in a highly elliptical orbit can be over a different part of the planet than your SA…
Assuming all else is equal (same altitude, same targeting capability, same flight characteristics), an interceptor for an 11 km/s target needs about 89% more kinetic energy than an interceptor for an 8 km/s target. Realistically, between the rocket equation and atmospheric effects, the faster interceptor would likely need to be far larger still. You're probably talking about a 2.5 to 3 times bigger missile. While a country that could develop one could likely develop the other if they so chose, it doesn't seem like a safe assumption that a country with one has the other.