Two NATO intelligence agencies suspect that Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon capable of attacking Elon Musk's Starlink satellite constellation with destructive orbital debris "clouds," with the aim of curbing Western dominance in space, which helps Ukraine on the battlefield. This is reported by the Associated Press, writes UNN.
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According to intelligence data made available to the publication, the so-called "zone" effect weapon would shower Starlink's orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling several satellites simultaneously, but at the same time creating a risk of catastrophic collateral damage to other orbital systems.
Analysts who have not seen the research results doubt that such a weapon can work without causing uncontrolled chaos in space for companies and countries, including Russia and its ally China, which rely on thousands of orbital satellites for communication, defense, and other vital needs.
Such consequences, including risks to its own space systems, could deter Moscow from deploying or using such weapons, analysts say.
"I don't believe it. Well, I really don't believe it," said Victoria Samson, a space security specialist at the Secure World Foundation, who leads an annual study of anti-satellite systems conducted by the Colorado-based non-governmental organization. "Honestly, I would be very surprised if they did something like that."