New Facts: NATO intelligence flags suspected Russian ASAT weapon

Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a “zone‑effect” anti‑satellite weapon aimed at Starlink. It would flood Starlink’s orbits with hundreds of thousands of high‑density pellets, disabling multiple satellites at once and risking widespread damage to other spacecraft.

The pellets could be released by formations of small satellites that have not yet launched. The concept differs from Russia’s 2021 missile test that destroyed a single defunct satellite.

Specialists who have not seen the intelligence doubt such clouds could be controlled and warn they would threaten satellites of many countries, including Russia and China. Canada’s Space Division commander said he has not been briefed on such a system but called it plausible in light of allegations Russia is pursuing a nuclear space weapon.

Russian officials have warned that commercial satellites aiding Ukraine’s military could be legitimate targets, and Russia says it has fielded its S‑500 system to hit low‑orbit targets. The suspected program targets Starlink, which has helped Ukraine, and points to an attempt to disrupt stretches of the orbits the constellation uses rather than single satellites.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources