Russia is now fielding operational anti-satellite weapons with high-value US government satellites in their crosshairs, according to the four-star general leading US Space Command.
General Stephen Whiting delivered the warning this week during a presentation at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. He noted that Russia has moved beyond testing unusual 'nesting doll' satellites to an operational phase.
While Whiting did not explicitly name the system, the architecture is widely believed to be the Russian military program known as Nivelir. This system utilizes a 'Matryoshka doll' or 'nesting doll' design, where an outer shell releases smaller, unknown spacecraft to perform independent maneuvers in low-Earth orbit.
US officials have tracked the Nivellar system's progression since its first test mission launched in 2013. The satellites began maneuvering near US spy satellites in 2019, and US analysts have since concluded the system is now operational.
During a 2020 test, at least one of these smaller sub-satellites released a high-velocity mystery object. US analysts concluded this object was a projectile that could be fired at another satellite.
Russia's most recent suspected Nivelir launch took place last May from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The launch was precisely timed to coincide with the moment Earth's rotation placed the orbital plane of the NRO’s USA 338 Keyhole-class optical spy satellite directly underneath the launch site.
This level of precision, which matches the timing used by civilian missions to intercept the International Space Station, allows the satellites to shadow US reconnaissance assets. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) owns the targeted USA 338 Keyhole-class satellite.
“It’s evident Russia was deploying a space weapon there, and they’re putting it into an orbit where they can reach critical US national security satellites,” Whiting said on Tuesday.
Whiting suggested that earlier launches were part of a testing phase for the current deployment. “If you go back to some of those early launches of that system, the Russian nesting doll system, they were testing that,” he added.
US officials now believe the Nivelir architecture is capable of reaching critical US national security assets. Whiting’s comments suggest the deployment of these weapons in these specific orbits constitutes a provocation.
