The construction of a sophisticated laser system at a Russian space facility is shown in recent images.
In Russia's far southwest, the Russian Ministry of Defense's Krona space facility is being used for the construction of a huge radio telescope. The Space Review analyzed public satellite imagery, solicitation documents from Russian industrial contractors and Russian financial documents in order to uncover the existence of this new complex.
According to the financial documentation obtained by The Space Review, Kalina is a laser system that can permanently blind satellites by shining lasers at them, so they can't see anything. Other lasers called "dazzlers" only aim at temporarily blinding systems.
The US Space Force created a new unit to keep an eye on threats in space.
According to the new investigation, Kalina just recently got under construction at an existing space surveillance complex operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense that houses lidar and radar systems that help identify targets for space telescopes.
The Russian patent and procurement documents show that the Kalina laser facility has a separate tracking system with adaptive optics. Along with this system, the laser itself has a transmit-receive system to measure laser light reflected from its target in order to better aim at the optical systems on its target object.
Anti-satellite activity has led to the construction of this laser. The Washington Post quoted General David D. Thompson, vice chief of space operations for the United States Space Force, as saying that U.S. satellites are under attack every day.
The Washington Post called it a "shadow war in space." Russia has been jamming and disrupting signals from the Starlink internet satellites, according to a letter written by Musk. In order to reestablish communication networks and provide emergency internet services in the country, which was invaded by Russia in February, the company sent many Starlink terminals.
The Starlink satellites, which have been tested for a variety of military applications, may not be the only player looking to disrupt or destroy them. A paper published in the Chinese journal Modern Defense Technology called for the development of a combination of soft and hard kill methods that could cause some Starlink satellites to lose their functions. While Starlink can provide more stable and reliable communication for the combat units deployed by the US military around the world, the satellites could also be used to provide high-definition pictures and even live video for US forces.
It's possible that ground-based lasers like Russia's new Kalina system could provide the kind of soft kill methods described by Chinese researchers.
The space review has a story about the Kalina system.
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