On November 15, Russia conducted an antisatellite missile test, reportedly using an S-500 Prometey interceptor to intercept a long-defunct Soviet signals intelligence satellite. The intercept created over 1,500 pieces of trackable debris. Russia last tested an antisatellite missile in December 2020, although that test did not involve a kinetic intercept.
On December 15, Russia tested an anti-satellite missile, according to a statement by the U.S. Space Command. According to the release, the weapon tested was a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit. The statement separately announced that Russia had continued to develop a co-orbital anti-satellite weapon, which was tested in...
On July 25, French Defense Minister Florence Parly announced her country’s plans to develop antisatellite (ASAT) laser weapons by 2023. Speaking at the Lyon Mont-Verdun military base, Parly argued that “If our satellites are threatened, we intend to blind those of our adversaries…We reserve the right and the means to be able to respond: that...
On March 27, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted a successful anti-satellite intercept test. Designated “Mission Shakti” (“Strength”), the test involved an indigenously produced “Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptor” launched off India’s Odisha coastal test range to target a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), at a height of approximately 300 km. India’s Press...
