Shooting down a satellite: Is it an empty threat or can it be carried out?

Russia has warned that it will attack and shoot down the Starlink satellite network of the SpaceX company founded by Elon Musk, on the grounds that SpaceX is building hundreds of spy satellites for the US government.

Russia reacted strongly when Elon Musk company cooperated with the US government to develop spy satellites.
Last week, Reuters news agency quoted anonymous sources confirming that SpaceX is developing a spy satellite network for the Office of Intelligence. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a government intelligence agency.

According to Reuters sources, SpaceX has signed a $1.8 billion contract with the US government to build a powerful reconnaissance system, including hundreds of satellites operating in low Earth orbit to take pictures. clearly see the Earth's surface or track the movement of specific targets.

Will Russia attack SpaceX satellites because they are used for military purposes? (Photo: Space).

It is unclear when this spy satellite system will be deployed, but the information has made the Russian side worried and immediately issued a tough statement.

"We are fully aware of Washington's efforts to attract private companies to serve its space military ambitions ," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference. took place last week.

"We note that the United States and its allies are increasingly using satellite and terrestrial infrastructure, such as Starlink's commercial civil systems, to conduct intelligence and conduct operations. hostile activities ," Ms. Zakharova added.

Ms. Zakharova emphasized that efforts by the US and its allies to militarize commercial satellite networks can turn these satellites into legitimate targets for retaliatory measures, including military measures.

In addition to Russia, China has also expressed dissatisfaction with the news that Starlink cooperates with the US government to build a spy and reconnaissance satellite network.

An account belonging to the Chinese Army on the social networking platform Weibo called the contract between SpaceX and the US government "brazen and double standards".

"We call on American companies not to help bad guys do evil. All countries around the world should be vigilant and protect against new and greater security threats created by the US government," shared the Weibo account of the Chinese Army.

The NRO side has not officially confirmed the contract signing information with SpaceX posted by Reuters, but an NRO representative said they are building a "space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system with multi-capacity capabilities." the most versatile form and operability the world has ever known."

Not the first time

This is not the first time Russia has warned that it will shoot down SpaceX satellites. In September 2022, Konstantin Vorotsov - Deputy Director of the Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry - also issued a similar warning at a United Nations meeting on the topic of minimizing international threats. threat from space.

The reason given is because SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet system is used by the Ukrainian military to fight Russia.

Elon Musk has provided tens of thousands of satellite receiver dishes to the military and people of Ukraine. (Photo: Getty).

Previously, when Russia began a special military campaign in Ukraine at the end of February 2022, the Ukrainian government called on Elon Musk for support after many telecommunications infrastructure in this country was destroyed.

Responding to this call, Elon Musk quickly sent to Ukraine more than 20,000 Starlink internet satellite signal receiver dishes, helping Ukrainian soldiers and people continue to use the internet via satellite.

Although Elon Musk claims that Starlink is only for peaceful and civilian purposes, in fact, the Ukrainian military has used this satellite Internet for military purposes, including communication and sending encrypted messages. or used to control drones to attack the Russian military.

Does Russia have the ability to shoot down satellites in orbit?

Although it has repeatedly issued threats, up to now Russia has not actually shot down any SpaceX satellites.

In fact, Russia is completely capable of shooting down satellites in orbit, instead of just making empty threats.

In November 2021, Russia successfully tested an anti-satellite missile, destroying one of the country's decommissioned satellites. The test sent thousands of pieces of debris flying across Earth's orbit.

SpaceX representatives at this time criticized the Russian test, as the company's satellites had to repeatedly change orbit to avoid debris caused by the test.

Russia has successfully tested a missile that can shoot down satellites in Earth orbit. (Illustration photo: AA).

This shows that Russia is completely capable of shooting down satellites that the country considers hostile. The issue is whether the Russian government really wants to trigger a war in space or not.

Starlink is a project of space technology company SpaceX (founded by technology billionaire Elon Musk), using satellites launched into orbit to provide internet coverage globally.

Starlink's satellites will be designed to broadcast broadband internet from space to Earth. In addition to satellites launched into space, SpaceX will provide users with transceiver antennas to receive and send data from satellites to the ground, and from there users can connect to the internet. SpaceX delivers on its device.

These signal receiver dishes can be easily installed in many places, on many different terrains.

Starlink's advantage is that it can provide Internet anywhere in the world, even remote areas, areas that are difficult to reach with regular internet or mobile networks. SpaceX's ambition is that the Starlink project can provide internet coverage globally and achieve a maximum speed of up to 1Gbps (equivalent to 125MB/s).