According to the White House, Russia is reportedly in the process of developing an anti-satellite weapon, as disclosed on Thursday. While US intelligence officials have confirmed Russia’s acquisition of this capability, they emphasized that the weapon is not yet operational.
Also read:CBSE asks students to use Delhi Metro on way to exam centres
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, stated that although Russia’s pursuit of such a capability is concerning, it currently does not pose an immediate safety threat. He clarifie that the weapon under discussion is not designe to target human beings or cause physical harm on Earth. In response to this intelligence, President Joe Biden has instructed several preliminary measures, including direct diplomatic discussions with the Kremlin.
Also read:Supreme Court Has Issued Judgement On The Electoral Bonds
Anti-Satellite Weapon: Impact on Satellite Communications According to UN Expert
Almudena Azcarate Ortega, who specialises in space security at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, said that counterspace weapons do not inflict physical damage but instead disrupt vital satellite communications.
Also read:पंजाब के किसानों के साथ आने लगे हरियाणा के किसान संगठन और खापें
It would be a non-kinetic type of capability, so like a jammer, which would generate a noise on the same radio frequency band as the space system or the ground station that’s being target in order to block or interfere with the signal travelling from, in this case, space to Earth,” she told DW. “So in this sense, that is how it would be felt on Earth. It wouldn’t be a direct source of damage.
The damage that would be felt would be reverberating in nature because it could disrupt or it could interrupt the services that a specific satellite provides to Earth.