Russia is secretly developing a new type of space weapon that kills satellites, according to US intelligence watchdogs in Washington.
The Biden administration is collecting highly sensitive information about the new capability, which has not yet become operational but has the potential to be a game-changer in the war in Ukraine.
Russia He denied the allegations, but the head of the powerful Congressional Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington issued an urgent warning about… Russia's alleged ambitions.
Space is the new frontier in military technology and was unprecedented during the Ukraine war. Ukraine has been a pioneer in using satellites and artificial intelligence to lead its attacks on Russia, and now Russia may be responding.
These claims are vague and lacking in detail, as is often the case with intelligence reports, but the US is believed to fear that Russia is working on a weapon that could destroy many satellites at once.
Ukraine has used it very effectively Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network. Data collected in space is augmented with artificial intelligence to produce lists of targets the Ukrainians can hit. Satellites could also be used to help forces communicate on the ground and direct increasingly lethal drones.
Unlike previous satellites used for military purposes, the Starlink network includes thousands of satellites. For Russia's new weapon to be effective, it must be able to eliminate them en masse.
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Detonating a nuclear device in space could create an electromagnetic pulse that would burn out satellite circuits. But it is not clear whether the alleged new weapons will be nuclear.
Other possibilities include laser technology or other forms of electromagnetic interference.
The use of space in this war will inevitably lead to escalation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Inventions and weapons on the one hand require confrontation on the other.
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Putin on a visit to a space station near Moscow in October last year. Photo: Reuters
At first, Russia was able to jam Starlink signals, and then Western engineers were able to neutralize that technology. Now Russia appears to be resorting to more aggressive solutions.
War in space would have enormous downsides. It could render vast areas unusable if satellites turn into clouds of space debris. International treaties aim to mitigate this risk, but the Ukraine war has highlighted the strategic advantages of operating there.
The space arms race continues despite the enormous risks.
