Russia suspected of developing shrapnel anti‑satellite weapon
Two NATO‑nation intelligence services have shared findings with the Associated Press indicating Russia is developing a 'zone‑effect' anti‑satellite weapon designed to release dense clouds of high‑velocity pellets into Starlink orbits, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once and undermining Western space support to Ukraine. Analysts and allied space officials warn that such a system would risk uncontrollable collateral damage to thousands of satellites used by the U.S., Russia, China and others, raising doubts about whether Moscow would ultimately deploy it even as Russia increasingly casts commercial systems like Starlink as legitimate military targets.
📌 Key Facts
- Two unnamed NATO‑nation intelligence services believe Russia is working on a 'zone‑effect' anti‑satellite weapon that would flood Starlink orbital shells with hundreds of thousands of high‑density pellets.
- The concept aims to disable multiple Starlink satellites simultaneously but would also threaten other countries’ spacecraft, potentially causing 'catastrophic' debris and disruption in low Earth orbit.
- Canadian Space Division commander Brig. Gen. Christopher Horner says such a system is 'not implausible' given earlier U.S. allegations about a possible Russian nuclear anti‑satellite project, while space‑security expert Victoria Samson expresses strong skepticism that Moscow would risk such indiscriminate space chaos.