Could Russia be working on releasing space nukes into space?
Though such technology is feasible, experts believe that the panic button need not be pushed.
Nuclear Threats
Russia released the Cosmos 2553 satellite back in February 2022, sparking anxiety and speculations regarding its purpose in the middle of growing tension all over the world.
Just a couple of weeks after it entered orbit, troops of Russia invaded Ukraine. With NATO rushing back to Ukrainians, who were overmatched, the world was scared that the fight could progress to become a nuclear war.
This year, an American congressman released a cryptic message regarding a grave national security threat. This ended up fueling a storm in the media.
Officials from the US referred to the Cosmos 2253 satellite of Russia. They also revealed their worries that the satellite could be performing tests that could result in the orbiting of a nuclear weapon in space.
However, Russia is actually bound by various legal restrictions. According to Article 4 of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, nuclear weapons are banned from being placed into orbit, stationed in outer space, or installed on cosmic objects.
The New Start Treaty also aims to decrease the deployable nuclear arm count. On the other hand, the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty also prohibits nuclear explosions from happening in space.
Nuclear Bombs in Space
Dr. Bleddyn Bowen, an outer space international relations and warfare specialist and associate professor from the University of Leicester, noted that even if Russia disregards such treaties, there are still other things to consider.
While the threat rumors could be linked to anti-satellite weapons that are tipped, the threat is actually nothing new. Dr. Bowen explained that these were the most crude and the first anti-satellite weapons that had been built, which Americans possessed back in 1959.
Russia has also explored nuclear weapon stationing in space with the purpose of aiming for targets on the ground. It was found to be very expensive and not useful.
If a nuclear explosion really were to occur in space, what exactly would happen?
To understand what a nuclear bomb in space could look like, it is first crucial to obtain a better picture of the satellites that orbit the planet.
Outermost satellites have orbits that are in sync with the rotation of the Earth around 22,000 miles above the surface of the planet. They play a huge role in telecommunications and weather forecasting.
In 1962, the US conducted a test known as the Starfish Prime. This test involved blasting a 1.4-megaton nuclear weapon into.
The incredible nuclear blast triggered an intense electromagnetic pulse. It also unleashed a radiation belt that stayed for months in orbit around the planet.
According to Dr. Bowen, a nuclear explosion that takes place in low-Earth orbit would lead to a flash in the sky that could be seen among individuals below. It is likely that false auroras, like northern lights, could also be visible.
Moreover, at present, space in low-Earth orbit is tremendously more crowded with thousands of satellites.
A detonated nuclear bomb in space would end up causing indiscriminate damage. Several capabilities, such as internet services and early warning military systems, could end up being knocked out in the US and other countries.
Several satellites could also be left impaired when it comes to position-correcting, which may cause them to careen with each other.
In the worst-case scenario of a nuclear blast in space, a space junk cloud could shroud the planet.
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