The Russian Federation plans to place a nuclear weapon in orbit, which will destroy almost all satellites with a single explosion. But the aggressor country already has "conventional" anti-satellite weapons in orbit - killer machines capable of "destroying" other satellites one by one.
Russia is preparing for war in space
Unlike a nuclear explosion in orbit, this weapon can destroy satellites one at a time, not all at once.
The Telegraph writes about it.
In 2019 and 2022, Russia launched a group of small maneuverable "inspection" satellites into low orbit. The Russians claim that the function of these devices is to rendezvous with other Russian satellites and check them to diagnose malfunctions.
But, as The Telegraph writes, with the help of sensors and manipulators, these identical "inspection" satellites can interfere with the work of other people's satellites or even destroy them.
Russian inspection satellites are usually short-lived. After a couple of years, they run out of fuel, lose altitude and burn up in the atmosphere. To maintain an orbital arsenal for a possible future space war, the Kremlin must launch a new batch of inspection satellites every few years.
On May 16, the Russians launched a mysterious satellite called "Cosmos 2576" from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Four days later, on May 20, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said that Cosmos 2576 was likely a weapon capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit.
Russia has deployed this new anti-space weapon in the same orbit as a US government satellite. This American satellite, numbered USA 314, is reported to have reconnaissance capabilities.
If Cosmos 2576 had attacked USA 314, it would have been an act of war. But in a situation where the battle has already begun, the priority of the Russian space forces would be to blind or disable as many American intelligence and communication satellites as possible.
The Telegraph notes that the Americans also have "inspection satellites" and a "secret space fighter" capable of interfering with other countries' spacecraft — and so do the Chinese.
The big difference is that the United States and China are not currently escalating a major war on the surface of the Earth that would demonstrate their recklessness.
Russian anti-satellite weapons: what is known
American intelligence learned about Russia's plans to place nuclear weapons in orbit. Its task is not to strike the ground but to destroy all satellites in orbit, which eliminates the advantage of the United States in intelligence and coordination of its forces in the event of World War III.
Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability of the US Department of Defense, reported details about the deployment of Russian weapons in space.
According to her, Russia already has a spacecraft in orbit, which, according to the Pentagon, is part of the anti-satellite weapons program.
This satellite is at a non-standard altitude that other satellites do not use and is higher than regular Earth orbits. The Russian Federation has officially assured that it is a scientific satellite designed to study the effect of radiation on electronics. Still, in this case, its orbit is illogical because it lies below the powerful radiation belts.
However, analysts warn that Russian weapons placed in space as a trump card in the event of a third world war could actually trigger the start of that war itself.
