An exo-atmospheric based multiple kill vehicle, MKV, interceptor for intercepting targets, comprising: a booster stage configured to provide boost and attitude control to launch the interceptor on a ballistic trajectory; a plurality of autonomous kill vehicles, KVs,; and a carrier vehicle, CV, adapter configured to support the KVs during launch and deploy the KVs with a mission plan to engage a target cloud; wherein each said autonomous KV comprises, a bi-directional space-to-space data link to communicate with other KVs, an inertial measurement subsystem configured to determine the KV's position and orientation a passive sensor subsystem configured to image a determine target volume of the target cloud and provide discrimination to support unambiguous assignment of targets from the mission plan, a divert attitude control system, DACS, with a kinematic reach to remove insertion error and prosecute the determined target volume; and a guidance unit configured to self-manage its own KV deployment and target engagement for the determined target volume assigned by a designated master KV; wherein at least one said KV's guidance unit is configured to manage post-separation KV deployment and target engagement as the designated master KV to execute a mission plan to intercept the target cloud so that the kinetic energy of the kill vehicle can be used to destroy the target; and wherein the interceptor further comprises a bi-directional space-to-ground data link (48,50,110,111) on either the CV or one said designated master KV to receive updates on the mission plan and transmit mission information on KV deployment and target engagement. a booster stage configured to provide boost and attitude control to launch the interceptor on a ballistic trajectory; a plurality of autonomous kill vehicles, KVs,; and a carrier vehicle, CV, adapter configured to support the KVs during launch and deploy the KVs with a mission plan to engage a target cloud; wherein each said autonomous KV comprises, a bi-directional space-to-space data link to communicate with other KVs, an inertial measurement subsystem configured to determine the KV's position and orientation a passive sensor subsystem configured to image a determine target volume of the target cloud and provide discrimination to support unambiguous assignment of targets from the mission plan, a divert attitude control system, DACS, with a kinematic reach to remove insertion error and prosecute the determined target volume; and a guidance unit configured to self-manage its own KV deployment and target engagement for the determined target volume assigned by a designated master KV; a bi-directional space-to-space data link to communicate with other KVs, an inertial measurement subsystem configured to determine the KV's position and orientation a passive sensor subsystem configured to image a determine target volume of the target cloud and provide discrimination to support unambiguous assignment of targets from the mission plan, a divert attitude control system, DACS, with a kinematic reach to remove insertion error and prosecute the determined target volume; and a guidance unit configured to self-manage its own KV deployment and target engagement for the determined target volume assigned by a designated master KV; wherein at least one said KV's guidance unit is configured to manage post-separation KV deployment and target engagement as the designated master KV to execute a mission plan to intercept the target cloud so that the kinetic energy of the kill vehicle can be used to destroy the target; and wherein the interceptor further comprises a bi-directional space-to-ground data link (48,50,110,111) on either the CV or one said designated master KV to receive updates on the mission plan and transmit mission information on KV deployment and target engagement.