Satellite Wars - Infographic

The Invisible Battlefield

Some thoughts on national security and space. For context:

Given this rich attack surface, what are the various security concerns?

Satellite warfare, as it were.

Say a country wants to disrupt or deny an adversary’s use of satellites for intelligence, communication, and navigation without (ideally) creating permanent damage.

Their main offensive tactics include:

• Direct-ascent missiles to destroy satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• Co-orbital “killer” spacecraft that rendezvous and attack targets in Medium (MEO) or Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

• Ground-based jamming of signals (e.g., GPS navigation).

• Lasers to temporarily blind or overheat satellite sensors.

• Cyber attacks on command links or ground stations.

And on the defensive side:

• Proliferated constellations (thousands of small, replaceable satellites like Starlink) so losing a few doesn’t matter.

• Evasive maneuvers to dodge threats (expensive).

• Hardened designs (shielding against lasers, EMP, and jamming - adding expense).

• Anti-jam and encrypted communications.

The greatest risk is orbital debris.

Any major set of attacks could trigger Kessler syndrome—a cascade of collisions that could make entire orbital layers unusable for decades.

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