Russia is building a space nuclear weapon, US warns
U.S. security officials say that Russia is developing a space nuclear weapon, intended to destroy almost all satellites in low Earth orbit at once. For the United States, an event of this magnitude "would be the end of the space era."
U.S. authorities released information about a potential space nuclear weapon after Congressman Mike Turner issued a public warning about the technology.
As reported by Forbes, the Ohio Republican pressured the Department of Defense to provide lawmakers with a confidential briefing on the weapon.
If deployed, the weapon would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in space and could make low Earth orbit unusable for satellites for up to a year.
Beyond the impact on the U.S. and its allies, leaving them vulnerable to economic disruptions and exposed to a nuclear attack, such a weapon would also affect Russia itself, as well as China, although both powers are believed to be less dependent on satellites.
Comparing the nuclear weapon, which is not yet ready for use, to Sputnik, the Russian satellite that began the space era in 1957, Mike Turner was clear: "If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age. It should never be permitted to go into outer space. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space."
Meanwhile, nations are rushing to develop their own space and rocket programs, aiming to explore commercial opportunities and ensure they are not reliant on foreign satellites.
https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/russia-nuke-space-cuban-missile-crisis-in-space-satellite-nuclear/
U.S. authorities released information about a potential space nuclear weapon after Congressman Mike Turner issued a public warning about the technology.
As reported by Forbes, the Ohio Republican pressured the Department of Defense to provide lawmakers with a confidential briefing on the weapon.
If deployed, the weapon would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in space and could make low Earth orbit unusable for satellites for up to a year.
Beyond the impact on the U.S. and its allies, leaving them vulnerable to economic disruptions and exposed to a nuclear attack, such a weapon would also affect Russia itself, as well as China, although both powers are believed to be less dependent on satellites.
Comparing the nuclear weapon, which is not yet ready for use, to Sputnik, the Russian satellite that began the space era in 1957, Mike Turner was clear: "If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age. It should never be permitted to go into outer space. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space."
Meanwhile, nations are rushing to develop their own space and rocket programs, aiming to explore commercial opportunities and ensure they are not reliant on foreign satellites.
https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/russia-nuke-space-cuban-missile-crisis-in-space-satellite-nuclear/
36-40, M
