- CNN reported that Russia is trying to build a space nuclear weapon to destroy satellites.
- Space security experts told Business Insider that while the reports may be true, it's not yet time to worry.
- They said the presence of secret weapons was more likely to increase global tensions than their use.
A mysterious intelligence report this week that Russia is building an unspecified space nuclear weapon could mean global catastrophe is near as the nuclear threat escalates. It stoked the fears of concerned Americans.
Experts in space security and the risks posed by nuclear weapons tell Business Insider that while rumors that Russia is building such weapons are likely true, it's not yet time to panic. Ta.
CNN cited an anonymous source with knowledge of the information as saying that the device, which military officials have been briefed on, is a type of nuclear EMP, and that “when it explodes, it generates a gigantic wave of energy that can destroy satellites and and potentially paralyze vast swathes of government.'' These are the satellites that the world below relies on to talk on cell phones, pay bills, and surf the Internet. ”
NPR reports that the White House has acknowledged that Russia is working on weapons that could threaten satellites in space, but none have been deployed.
Deploying such weapons would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and 113 other countries, including the United States. Violation of this treaty will result in international retaliation.
What exactly do cosmic nuclei do?
But Russia has been developing anti-satellite weapons for years, John Erath, senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, told BI.
“They tested one, destroyed one of their own satellites, and proved they could do it,” Iras said. “So these reports released this week are not at all surprising in any way. It's certainly very true that they are working on new and more efficient ways to destroy American satellites. But that's where the problem begins. Nuclear weapons aren't really like that, so it gets a little complicated.”
Nuclear weapons, by their very nature, are not precise. This means that even a relatively controlled explosion would destroy everything in its immediate vicinity. As a result, Russia cannot target U.S. satellites without risking itself, many of which operate in similar orbits.
The potential damage cannot be ignored. Starfish Prime, a 1962 weapons test during the Cold War, detonated a 1.4-megaton nuclear warhead in low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 250 miles, or between 62 miles and 1,250 miles. Ultimately, the experiment wiped out about a third of the satellites in orbit due to the explosion, its debris, and the radiation left behind.
Today, that altitude is home to the International Space Station, the Hubble Telescope, and approximately 4,000 SpaceX Starlink satellites.
GPS satellites operate in higher medium-Earth orbit (approximately 12,500 miles above the ground), while the US billion-dollar intelligence-gathering satellites, nuclear command and control satellites, and many SATCOM satellites operate in geostationary orbits about 32,370 miles above the ground. It's in orbit.
Current information about Russia's weapon candidate does not indicate how large the Starfish Prime warhead would be or at what altitude it would be launched, said Victoria, principal director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation.・Samson said. she told BI.
“Our intelligence capabilities are excellent, but we are not omniscient,” Samson said, referring to the U.S. position on the development of weapons of mass destruction before the invasion of Iraq. “So I hope the intelligence community is wrong on this. But we don't even know exactly what they think is going on because of the classification. So a lot of it is just speculation. It's nothing more than that.”
Samson and Iras said the most significant risk at this point is that such weapons could increase international tensions between the United States and Russia and normalize nuclear threats as an alternative to diplomacy. he pointed out.
“If nuclear blackmail becomes a regular tool in international relations, everyone will want to have the ability to carry it out,” Iras said. “Ultimately, a threat won't be made unless you're prepared to carry it out. And at some point, someone will try to carry out a threat.”
He added: “And a nuclear attack anywhere in the world is a very serious event. It's not going to be the old Cold War mantra of destroying the world over and over again. That's science fiction. But the alternative effects are that both “It extends to the world,” he added. The situation will continue to be catastrophic in our neighborhoods and around the world. ”
