US officials are ringing alarms about Russia’s new nuclear anti- satellite ( ASAT ) weapon, a deployment that could transform Low- Earth Orbit ( LEO ) space into a dangerous no- man’s land.
Multiple media outlets reported this month that US authorities have lately expressed concerns about Russia’s creation of a nuclear Symbolizes weapon that would render LEO unusable.
The fears were made clear in comments made by US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb and US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control.
Despite alleged claims that Russia has a test dish in an unusually large radiation orbit, which is meant to be for electric testing, the satellite’s claims are untrue.
By detonating in Lion, which is about 100 to 1200 yards above Earth, nuclear devices may be deployed to destroy dish operations across the human, business, and military sectors.
US officials emphasize the unrestricted impact of such a weapon, which could compromise satellites, worldwide communication, weather forecasting, and protection services that are vital to modern society, despite no immediate deployment.
Nuclear weapons are not a new concept for Cognizant missions. Aaron Bateman writes in a January 2022 Bulletin of the Atomic Professionals content that the Kennedy administration approved Project 437, an Cognizant weapons with nuclear-tipped capability, because of US concern over Soviet orbital nuclear arms during the Cold War.
But, US scientists discovered that nuclear explosions at high altitude could randomly damage electronic infrastructure on Earth and destroy US satellites, which would have a negative impact on Project 437’s utility.
If there is a way to reduce the collateral damage discovered, the US may still have to use nuclear warheads to eliminate many satellites over large areas, despite the apparent abandonment of the ASAT weaponry.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Chinese military experts at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology simulated a nuclear explosion close to area that might disable spacecraft like Starlink, according to Elon Musk’s report from October 2022.
A 10-megaton bomb detonated at an level of 80 kilometers could make a nuclear cloud, which would probably harm LEO satellites, according to their simulation. According to the simulation, a blast like this could reduce the risk to polite spacecraft while also serving as a target for enemy satellites.
Due to the lack of air, a space explosion would n’t blow up a cloud. High- power debris had been captured by Earth’s magnetic field and spread as a rays belt, endangering aircraft. Nuclear weapons are probably too risky for Cognizant missions because of this effect.
But, in a near- area atmospheric explosion, the resulting debris cloud may have a full mass larger than the bomb, amplifying the effects of gamma rays and beta particles against spacecraft and communications.
Falling air molecules would reduce the risk of other satellites or spacecraft, avoiding the radiation belt effect, in a near-space atmospheric explosion.
Major military powers have stepped up their efforts to develop countermeasures as a result of satellite constellations like Starlink’s decisive role in the ongoing Ukraine war.
Christopher Miller and other authors make reference to Starlink as a crucial communication tool for Ukrainian forces because it facilitates artillery coordination and allows them to stay in touch with their superiors and family despite network disruptions.
Miller and others claim that Starlink has thwarted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s disinformation campaign and helped to undermine Russia’s efforts to isolate Ukraine.
They point out that Starlink has demonstrated adaptability and resilience by providing communication to civilians in besieged areas and supporting military operations.
Russia and China, the US’s closest allies, have taken note of Starlink’s capabilities and have made covert threats to obliterate the satellite constellation, including through the development of ASAT capabilities.
Russia warned that US and allies ‘ commercial satellites could be targeted if they were used to support Ukraine’s war effort in October 2022, according to Reuters ‘ report from that time.
Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Non- Proliferation and Arms Control, has criticized the West’s use of space to assert dominance and support Ukraine.
Vorontsov made the claim that “quasi-civil” space infrastructure that is assisting Ukraine might be subject to retaliatory strikes, without specifically mentioning Starlink.
In line with SCMP’s report from May 2022, Chinese military researchers affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army’s Strategic Support Force ( PLA-SSF ) have expressed concerns about Starlink’s potential threat to China’s national security and stressed the need for ASAT capabilities.
They advocated using” soft and hard kill methods” to disrupt the Starlink constellation and called for a surveillance system to track each Starlink satellite.
Despite Russia and China’s explicit and implicit threats to destroy Starlink, using nuclear ASAT weapons may not be practical because they have more coercive and deterrent value than actual military advantage.
In a March 2024 King’s College London article, Malcolm Davis mentions that a nuclear ASAT weapon attack downing multiple satellites can cripple everything from internet access to communications, positioning, navigation and timing, Earth observation, critical information services and supply chains, as there is no way to harden satellites against such an attack.
He points out that a similar attack, in addition to cyberattacks and submarine attacks on underwater Internet cables, could provide the first step in a high-intensity conflict in the future.
A Russian high-altitude nuclear ASAT attack, according to Davis, would indiscriminately destroy Russian satellites in opposition to the Chinese scientists ‘ simulation of a near-space attack with limited collateral damage.
In a bizarre twist, Davis mentions that Russia reportedly uses Starlink in Ukraine. He contends that Russia’s threat to use ASAT nuclear weapons points to a weak conventional military, which is currently fighting in Ukraine.
His theory states that Russia’s nuclear ASAT weapons are intended to coerce people into using them as they are intended to rather than actually using them, by threatening to endow Western social cohesion while avoiding the dangers of using them on Earth.
He makes the observation that nuclear ASAT weapons are ultimately not a useful coercive tool despite their potential danger. He stresses, however, that their potential effects cannot be minimized, and that their deployment would erode rules and regulations, including those that prohibit the militarization of space.