US says Russia is developing anti-satellite capability

Russia is believed to be developing an anti-satellite weapon, the White House said Thursday.

US intelligence officials have information that Russia has acquired this capability, but they also said that no such weapon is currently operational.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, “First of all this is not an active capability that has been deployed and while Russia’s discovery of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone’s security “

“We are not talking about a weapon that could be used to attack humans or cause physical destruction on Earth.”

Kirby said US President Joe Biden has directed a number of initial actions in response to the intelligence, including direct diplomatic engagement with the Kremlin.

How do anti satellite weapons work?

Almudena Azcaret Ortega, who specializes in space security at the UN Disarmament Research Institute, said counterspace weapons do not cause physical damage but disrupt vital satellite communications.

“It would be a non-kinetic type capability, so like a jammer, that would generate noise on the same radio frequency band as the space system or ground station that is being targeted so as to block or disrupt the signal coming from there Could, in this case, from space to Earth,” he told DW.

“So in that sense, it will be felt similarly on Earth. It won’t be a direct source of damage.”

“The damage that will be felt will be resonant in nature as it may disrupt or disrupt the services that a specific satellite provides to Earth.”