On February 14, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee of the American House of Representatives announced to his colleagues the existence of a “serious threat to national security”. According to our colleagues atHLN, the essence of this threat was revealed later. Russia is reportedly working on a nuclear weapon in space. This could attack other satellites and pull them out of space. The United States then informed its allies of this threat and an American and Japanese resolution was put on the table of the UN Security Council. Thus, this resolution called on member states not to develop nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction that would be placed in orbit around the Earth. While thirteen countries voted “for” this resolution, Russia vetoed it and China preferred not to comment.
Mallory Stewart, Deputy Minister of State for Arms Control, Deterrence and Stability, spoke on the subject to the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS) think tank. According to HLN, she reportedly said: “Russia claims that its satellite is intended for scientific purposes. But the orbit is in an area where no other spacecraft fly. It’s already a bit strange”. In addition, this satellite is in an orbit with very strong radiation. For Mallory Stewart, “the explosion of a nuclear weapon in this orbit could render the lower circles around the Earth unusable for some time.”
John Plumb, Deputy Minister of Defense in charge of space policy, confirms these remarks by explaining that this nuclear weapon could damage other satellites. “Most satellites can be damaged. Some will not survive the direct impact of the explosion, others will be damaged over a longer period,” we can read on HLN.
If these satellites are damaged, this could directly impact the earth since the internet or even weather forecasts work thanks to satellite systems. The economic consequences that this could impact are also not negligible.
