Despite its recent emergence, these technologies and concepts are not new.
The United States and the Soviet Union developed and tested anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) during the Cold War. Both nations also regularly utilized nuclear power in space.
As early as 1959, the United States initiated the development of anti-satellite missiles due to concerns about Soviet efforts to do the same. This led to a 1985 test launch by an F-15 fighter jet, which successfully destroyed a satellite by ejecting its payload at an altitude of 36,000 feet and hissing into orbit, carrying a deteriorating U.S. aircraft, according to the U.S. Air Force Museum.
A paper published by the Air Force’s Air University Press in 2000 stated that from 1969 to 1975, the U.S. government developed an anti-satellite system using existing nuclear missiles in “direct ascent” mode to destroy space targets.
In addition to nuclear weapons, the U.S. government placed its first nuclear-powered satellite into orbit in 1961. The Soviet Union similarly developed and deployed comparable technology that powered many satellites during that period.
History has demonstrated that these developments are not without risks. In 1978, a Soviet nuclear-powered satellite malfunctioned and fell from the sky, spreading radioactive debris over northern Canada.
However, what has not yet been publicly revealed is the existence of a Russian nuclear-powered satellite carrying weapons.
According to a 2019 technical essay published in The Space Review, nuclear-fueled satellites equipped with powerful jammers that can block communications and other signals over large areas for extended periods may be installed. Experts have responded to this week’s news.
Bowen, of the University of Leicester, stated that such a design would be “very expensive” and “waiting for something to go wrong could create a nuclear environmental disaster in orbit.”
Ultimately, while none of this technology is new, the actual implementation would certainly be considered an escalation, according to Bowen and Bugerin.
Some have questioned whether the disclosure is purely political in nature, rather than a military threat.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovin suggested that the White House’s actions may be an attempt to manipulate Congress to vote on a funding bill that would provide new aid to Ukraine. He raised the possibility of a diversionary tactic from the other side.
Francesca Giovannini, executive director of the Atomic Stewardship Project at Harvard Kennedy School, noted that “Russia has long been attempting to develop weapons in space,” indicating potential misinformation or diversion tactics being employed.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
