It is enough to hit one's own and thus create space debris, which in turn can destroy other satellites, says the director-general in her Sommar i P1.
She emphasizes that the space debris risks colliding with another satellite or other space debris – a threat that arises from more actors utilizing space. The amount of space debris in Earth's orbit has noticeably increased in recent years according to the director-general.
”The approach is brutal”
An example is when Russia in the autumn of 2021 created an enormous debris belt, when they shot down their own satellite. Even the international space station has had to move several times to avoid a collision, says Ella Carlsson and adds:
The approach is brutal because it denies access, not just for everyone else, but also for oneself.
Space has come to be at least as important for security and warfare as for research. This applies to everything from communication to intelligence gathering.
The satellites are crucial, not just in your and my everyday life, but also for total defense, says Ella Carlsson, who emphasizes that the dependence on satellites creates a vulnerability that can be exploited by opponents.
Several growing problems
Shootdowns of satellites are one of several growing problems related to space. The director-general describes the disruptions to the GPS system as so common that they can no longer rely entirely on GPS and digital sea chart systems.
