Russia Wants To Put Nuclear Weapons In Space
Russia Wants To Put Nuclear Weapons In Space
But their motivation and the US's response are not what you think.
The current geopolitical state of the world is precarious, to say the least. So, a recent revelation from US politicians that they have two verifiable sources that claim Russia intends to put nuclear weapons in space is utterly terrifying. These sources also suggest that these weapons aren’t intended to be dropped down to Earth, but instead used against satellites. However, this is no less threatening, as we will come onto in a minute. This Wednesday, the House Intelligence Committee chairman and Republican Representative of Ohio, Michael R. Turner, warned that this is a “national security threat” and requested President Biden to “declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the administration and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.” So, what is the actual threat here? How can we fight back? And why should Biden declassify this intel immediately?
Let’s start with what type of weapon this is. Anti-satellite weapons, also known as ASATs, are not new. Some of the first satellites had military agendas, such as surveillance and communications, so developing the ability to destroy them makes sense. Ever since the 70s, the US and Soviet Union have developed weapons to take out these satellites, which mainly consisted of kinetic warheads, which have no explosives and only use their kinetic energy to deliver damage, attached to long-range missiles. Satellites are very delicate things, so even a glancing blow from one of these can render them useless. They are so fragile, in fact, that the Soviets tried to develop a group-based laser ASAT weapon in the 80s when laser technology was still in its infancy.
So, if it takes very little to destroy a satellite, why does Russia want to use a nuclear ASAT? Surely, that is overkill. Well, no, you see, satellite technology has changed. Neither the military nor civilians use singular giant satellites for observation and communication these days. Instead, they rely on satellite constellations, made up of tens, hundreds or even thousands of tiny satellites working together. Disabling these constellation’s services would take far too many missile-based ASATs to be feasible. So Russia is turning to one of the most damaging effects of nuclear weapons, EMPs, to take them out.
Nuclear weapons are so energetic that they throw out a tonne of electromagnetic radiation. Underground or in the lower atmosphere, this radiation doesn’t really do much, as the destruction it causes is massively outshone by the explosion. But this radiation is the killer blow in the upper atmosphere or in space. The thinner air, or lack of air, allows the radiation to spread far further and remain far more potent, creating extreme ripples in the Earth’s electromagnetic field that can spread for hundreds, or even thousands, of miles. These ripples are known as Electro Magnetic Pulses (EMPs). EMPs can induce massive voltage surges in circuits, severely crippling electronics in orbit or on the ground within their radius.
This is why Russia wants to use a nuclear ASAT, as a single weapon could wipe out a significant chunk of a modern satellite constellation by causing an EMP. It would be a far more viable way to combat modern satellite technology. But, there is a problem. The Outer Space Treaty.
The Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1967 by many countries, including the US and the Soviets (their signatory has carried over into modern-day Russia), when the space race was getting out of control. The part we are interested in today is its restriction on the use of nuclear weapons. You see, high-altitude EMPs were a significant worry of both the US and the Soviets, as such an attack could render their energy grids and burgeoning technology industries useless. So, this treaty banned nuclear weapons at high altitudes or in space.
Russia would have to step away from this treaty in order to deploy this new weapon. But this isn’t new; since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been stepping away from their nuclear arms control treaties. They have already stepped away from a nuclear ban test treaty and are preparing to let the more recent New START treaty, which limited the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the US and Russia, expire in 2026.
This is a huge problem, as these treaties have kept space exploration and nuclear tensions peaceful since the Cold War. You see, if Putin walks away from them, it not only opens the door but encourages other nuclear powers, like the US, EU and China, to expand their nuclear arsenal, put nuclear weapons into space, or even vie for territory and resources in space (something which the Outer Space Treaty bans).
This is especially worrying as nuclear weapons in space can be used for far more than taking out satellites. If dropped to Earth, their novel trajectory might make defence against such an attack difficult. If detonated at the right altitude, the majority of the energy of an EMP is channelled to the Earth’s surface. Such an attack could render an entire country’s energy grid, communications highways, and computers useless. When I say useless here, I mean it. Such an attack would short-circuit and corrupt all microchips and electronics in its radius.
This is why Congress wants to declassify intel around this potential weapon immediately.
There are ways to protect against EMPs, such as Faraday cages, which absorb the damaging electromagnetic radiation of EMPs, leaving any electronics within safe. In the event of such a weapon being used, communication protocols for both military and civilian services can also mitigate the impact of any damaged services. Developing a counterstrike technology (i.e. the US developing their own space nuclear weapon) as a retaliation threat can also nullify the risk, as Russia won’t want to risk suffering an EMP themselves (the same idea as Mutually Assured Destruction).
However, these protective methods and technologies will take years to develop and implement and will take a huge amount of cooperation between civilian and military industries. For example, Faraday cages block radio signals, so military or civilian satellites, such as Starlink, can’t be retrofitted with them, as it would render them useless. Instead, a new design which uses a Faraday cage to protect the electronics but can safely detect radio signals outside the cage will be needed. Such a design will take a lot of time and development to ensure both military and civilian space infrastructure is protected from EMPs.
Equally, it will take years for Russia to develop and implement its nuclear ASAT weaponry. So the quicker Biden can declassify their intel on this program, the faster Congress can decide how they will meet this threat and give us (including US allies) ample time to be ready when this new nuclear threat is launched. So let’s hope Biden takes Michael R. Turner’s advice and nips Russia’s nuclear overreach in the bud. Either way, WW3 is shaping up to make the Cold War look tame.
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Sources: ABC News, iTV, DoH, ACA, NY Times, MOS Equipment, Britannica, Reuters