NATO intelligence said Russia might be cooking up a new weapon to mess with satellites in orbit — and Starlink is top of the list.
The so-called “zone-effect” system would release hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets capable of disabling multiple satellites in one go, while also posing risks to nearby space assets.
At just a few millimeters each, these pellets could reportedly slip past detection by both ground- and space-based sensors, making it tricky to pin responsibility.
Despite the new development, some experts are skeptical about its practical deployment, as the weapon could also threaten Russia’s own satellites.
“I don’t buy it. Like, I really don’t. I would be very surprised, frankly, if they were to do something like that,” Secure World Foundation Space-Security Specialist Victoria Samson told the Associated Press.
Reports indicate the weapon remains under development, and it is unclear if it has been tested or could be fielded.
Why Starlink?
Ukrainian forces have turned to Elon Musk’s Starlink for battlefield communications and targeting support, making it a strategic concern for Moscow.
NATO reports even described the satellites as a “grave threat” to Russian operations.
If deployed, the zone-effect pellets would add to Russia’s growing anti-satellite arsenal, joining systems like the S-500, which targets low-orbit satellites and fifth-generation aircraft.
“It definitely feels like a weapon of fear, looking for some kind of deterrence or something,” Clayton Swope, a Center for Strategic and International Studies official, said. “They’ve invested a huge amount of time and money and human power into being … a space power.”
