Thousands of satellites orbiting the planet support military communications, emergency response, and everyday internet access.

Now, according to the Associated Press, intelligence services from two NATO countries are sounding an alarm about the possibility that Russia is making an effort to disrupt that infrastructure. According to the findings, the main focus is on Starlink, the satellite internet system operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

What’s happening?

The intelligence findings reviewed by the AP suspect Russia is developing an anti-satellite system aimed at Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellites. The proposed system would release hundreds of thousands of tiny, high-density pellets into orbit, while creating clouds of debris that could hit multiple satellites at once. The AP report noted that the pellets would be difficult to detect due to their tiny size.

"You blow up a box full of BBs," Canadian Brig. Gen Christopher Horner told the AP. According to Horner, doing that would "blanket an entire orbital regime and take out every Starlink satellite and every other satellite that’s in a similar regime. And I think that’s the part that is incredibly troubling."

He said that while he has not been briefed on this system exactly, the idea that Russia is developing it is not out of the question, given allegations about Russian space-based weapons research.

Why are satellites important?

According to AP, Starlink satellites have been critical to communications in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion. The network has been used by Ukrainian forces for battlefield coordination and by civilians and government officials when traditional communications infrastructure was damaged by strikes. Clayton Swope, a space-security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the AP that even small debris can disable satellites by damaging components such as solar panels.

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Swope also said that debris created at Starlink’s orbital altitude could be a threat to other spacecraft as it drifts down. According to Swope, crewed stations operating at lower orbits, including China’s Tiangong space station and the International Space Station, could also be at risk.

Concerns about the Starlink satellites come at a time when debris from Musk’s own Starlink satellites has resulted in increasing space junk and led to the creation of Space Armor, which shields astronauts from the impact of the junk. And his companies have faced scrutiny for environmental concerns, such as massive amounts of wastewater being dumped into water sources — in other words, there needs to be protection in place all around.

What about the potential space weapon?

According to the AP, the intelligence findings do not include a timeline for deployment and do not confirm whether the system has been tested. Russian officials have previously called for international limits on weapons in space, and the AP reported that Russia denies plans to deploy nuclear space weapons.

The AP report noted that international norms and monitoring are the tools preventing dangerous escalation. The idea of the weapon could also potentially be intended to intimidate rather than to deploy. Talking to friends and family about these topics can help shape policy and the direction Big Tech and space entrepreneurs spend their time.

"I don’t buy it. Like, I really don’t," said Victoria Samson, a space-security specialist at the Secure World Foundation.

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