Russia recently announced that commercial satellites belonging to the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets if used to support Ukraine. The response from the USA to this statement made by Konstantin Vorontsov, a senior Russian foreign ministry official, was not delayed.
US-Russia conflict moves into space
Russia has the technology to drop satellites one by one. He even deliberately destroyed one of his own satellites in 2021 to prove this technology. This technology, called anti-satellite or ASAT, stands out as a kind of show of strength. But these tests result in thousands of satellite fragments orbiting suborbital over the years.
After the Russian official’s statement, John Kirby, the communications director of the US National Security Council, told reporters that any attack on the US satellite infrastructure would be met with a response and they would give the most appropriate response to the threat against our infrastructure.
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Vorontsov, on the other hand, did not specify which satellite they would target. A potential target for Russia could be SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, which provide free internet to Ukraine. Other targets that Russia could focus on are thought to be Earth observation satellites managed by Planet Labs and Maxar, which the US defense and intelligence agencies use to monitor developments on the ground.
Elon Musk states that Starlink satellite services do not receive funding from the US Department of Defense, and the company loses about $20 million each month for these costs. SpaceX CEO said they are doing charity work and the company will continue to make Starlink freely available in Ukraine.
In the current situation, the statement made by the Russian official has caused concern especially for private satellite operators. What kind of path Russia will follow in the future is a matter of curiosity. So what do you think about Russia’s threat to shoot down US satellites? You can share your views with us in the comments section.