Since February 5, 2022, the US Space Command, the body responsible for American space operations, has been concerned about the presence of what appears to be the prototype of a Russian weapon intended to annihilate other military and commercial satellites through an explosion nuclear in orbit.
A satellite that worries the American authorities. According to a long article illustrated and published by the New York Times on December 5, Russia is currently testing a weapon, mounted on an orbiter called Cosmos 2553, capable of putting military and commercial satellites out of harm's way thanks to to a nuclear explosion in orbit.
For NASA, it is a “Russian military reconnaissance satellite designed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya (one of the country's main companies specializing in aeronautics, Editor's note)”. In his report, William Hennigan therefore returns to the beginnings of this prototype. On February 5, 2022, Space Command, one of the eleven American joint commands responsible for monitoring the sky, saw a rocket with a “very unusual” trajectory launched by Moscow.
In a few minutes, the body understands that this is a “worrying advance in a Russian program which could threaten military and commercial satellites with a nuclear explosion in orbit,” writes the New York Times journalist.
The now highly scrutinized object would be moving approximately 2,000 kilometers from Earth, in the Van Allen Belt, an area recognized as being a sort of satellite graveyard and where strong radiation prevents the proper functioning of electronic devices.
“No imminent danger”
The goal for Russia? “Develop systems and devices to counter radiation and heavy charged particles.” For Washington, it is in reality a question of developing a weapon whose objective would be to destroy hundreds, even thousands of satellites essential on a daily basis.
Last February, Republican Mike Turner, sitting on the House Intelligence Committee, announced that he had “information regarding a serious threat to national security” linked to Russia.
Still according to the New York Times, the satellite would carry a dummy warhead, which “does not present imminent danger, but authorities say it is the first step towards an unprecedented weapon.”
“Change life” on Earth
If a nuclear explosion were triggered in space, there would be no shock wave and mushroom cloud due to the absence of atmosphere. But a “space nuke” could change the course of life on Earth,” warned William Hennigan in an alarming tone.
Indeed, the journalist also recalled in his article the consequences that such a system could have on daily life. Terrestrial activities mainly depend on signals sent back by satellites, from GPS to the guidance of planes and boats and the Internet. Thus, such a weapon, if it were to be used, would affect all countries, including Russia and its allies, and would have catastrophic consequences. But the effects of a nuclear explosion in space remain “difficult to assess,” he said.
