A nuclear weapon in space capable of destroying all satellites. Russia's plan

On February 13, American politician Mike Turner issued a stark warning about an “urgent issue regarding a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known to all policy makers in Congress.” On February 14, US-based ABC News said the threat was a Russian "anti-satellite" satellite that was either nuclear-powered or carrying nuclear weapons.
Although Russia has not confirmed it, the general consensus is that these are satellite devices with nuclear bombs inside.
The political consequences were considerable, the warning issued by Congressman Turner was a political event.
From an economic point of view, however, what is vulnerable is a sector that currently generates $564 billion in profits globally.
The risks of nuclear satellites in the hands of Russia The direct threat raised by Turner, a member of the House of Representatives, underlines Russia's intention to destroy the US satellite command and control infrastructure, linked to the country's nuclear forces.
However, about 90% of the satellites in the sky are commercial satellites.
Although some of them are important for military purposes, they are not directly related to nuclear weapons.
Unlike other anti-satellite systems currently in development, the Russian nuclear device would directly strike every satellite, military or commercial, within a certain distance.
The effects of a nuclear explosion can last for years.
Tests conducted by the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1950s and 1960s show that a nuclear bomb detonated in space can also affect systems on Earth.
The Starfish Prime test conducted by the Americans in 1962 at 400 km over the western Pacific created an electromagnetic pulse that turned off hundreds of streetlights in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1440 km away.
The explosion of the nuclear device, which had a power of just over 1 Mt, destroyed the satellites days later as they crossed the generated fields.
In 1962 there were 22 satellites operating in orbit and almost half of them were hit.
Although the Starfish Prime device exploded at a lower altitude than most satellites in orbit, it would today hit thousands of satellites and potentially all satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
in the days following the explosion.
In 2022, 88% of satellites are found to be in LEO.
What are the economic consequences of the nuclear explosion in space? Almost all businesses would be affected, even if not directly, due to the knock-on effects.
So any business or institution with a satellite dish in direct or partner use, be it a bank, a television station or an oil rig, can be said to be at risk of a satellite disruption.
Banks and investment firms, which rely on satellite communications to offer the fastest possible transactions, would be particularly vulnerable.
The most devastating effect could be felt by the space industry itself.
If the Starfish Prime explosion knocked out satellites a few days after the event, the side effects were detected in space even six years later.
Russia's programs The use of a nuclear device in space would be able to hit every satellite within its range, regardless of the country it comes from.
So, why would Russia intentionally destroy its own satellites? Unlike the West, the Russian economy is not very tied to space.
In a January 17 article in the New York Times, the authors pointed out that: “Russia, however, has less to lose: Its once-vaunted space program is in decline, weakened by sanctions, and it has said it intends withdraw from the International Space Station program after 2024.
Moscow is now far behind China on the total number of operational flights and satellites in orbit.” Many countries, including Russia, have worked on anti-satellite solutions that have successfully targeted individual satellites.
While Russia's nuclear anti-satellite program is not yet operational, the fact that it is working on it shows that the intent is not just to disable a satellite or degrade a military force.
To borrow a concept expressed in Frank Herbert's book Dune, anyone who can destroy a thing controls it.
We must take into account this way of thinking held by those who are least interested in whether the thing is controlled or destroyed.
Can the space industry take into account the effects of nuclear power? How much would it cost the world to lose all its satellites? Politically, the news has already had an effect: the American government is already talking to China and India to push Russia not to develop such a weapon.
Article published on Money.it international edition on 2024-02-19 14:21:19.
Original title: Russia and the $564 Billion Nuclear Space Threat