2024-04-29 16:03:13
Russia has vetoed a draft UN resolution reaffirming a ban on sending nuclear weapons into space. China abstained. Could this decision lead to an arms race over our heads? And what would the consequences be?
In mid-February Futura raised the concerns of the American authorities about the development of nuclear weapons by Russia designed to destroy satellites in space (see article below). Such an act, refuted by the Kremlin, would go against international commitments made within the framework of the Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967. Since that date, this treaty has banned any object carrying weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, in orbitorbit. This new fear has just been the subject of a draft resolution reaffirming the provisions of the 1967 treaty before the United Nations Security Council. This project was jointly written by the United States and Japan and supported by 63 other nations.
The only country to have voted against the project and therefore vetoed it was Russia. China, for its part, abstained. The Middle Kingdom is also in the crosshairs of the United States for its space program deemed too secret to be only of a civilian nature. Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, considered this draft resolution as manipulation on the part of its sponsors. In his remarks, he added that to imply that Russia is not respecting the obligations of the initial treaty is “completely absurd”. In reaction, the American ambassador was surprised by this veto, finding it confusing, even suspicious, that a country which would support the resolution did not wish to reaffirm it. But for their part, Russia and China proposed an amendment whose resolution also aims to prevent the placement of weapons of all kinds in space. A request which was rejected, because this approach does not include missilesmissiles anti-satellites launched from the ground.
The American nuclear experiment in space
What would nuclear weapons be used for in space? Basically destroying satellites in practice. A thermonuclear explosion in space does not have at all the same characteristics as in space.atmosphereatmosphere earthly. It would have the ability to fry communication and observation satellites. The terrestrial consequences would be disastrous given the omnipresence of accessories and devices requiring satellite data.
Until now, the Americans are the only ones to have tested a nuclear bomb in space. The experiment was carried out in 1962 as part of the Starfish Prime project. The 1.4 megaton bomb was 500 times more powerful than the one used to destroy Hiroshima in 1945.
The explosion at an altitude of 400 kilometers had unexpected consequences with the loss of two satellites and numerous electrical failures on Earth due to the electromagnetic pulse generated. This experience made it possible to understand that such use was not desirable when at the time, unlike today, satellites were very few in number and their use restricted. If Russia or China developed such weapons, they could in fact destroy their own satellites in addition to constellationsconstellations of satellites considered enemies. The consequences could also endanger the occupants of theISSISS. If the militarization of space worries the international community, for the moment, these tensions seem to stem more from distrust than from real intentions to deploy this type of weapon.
Russian nuclear weapon in space: the new threat hovering over our heads?
According to American intelligence, Russia is developing a satellite equipped with nuclear weapons. Is this threat credible?
Article from Sylvain BigetSylvain Bigetpublished on February 15, 2024
Goldeneye, a fearsome Soviet-era satellite, is hijacked to exploit its electromagnetic pulse weapon to cause an international financial crisis. It was fiction and agent James Bond played by Pierce Brosnan then managed to neutralize this threat. Could reality once again exceed fiction, given the level of international tension between Russia and the West since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022? In any case, this is what Republican Mike Turner, chairman of the Permanent Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, suggests. According to its sources from the American intelligence services, Russia is developing a nuclear weapon to destroy satellites in space. This would be a serious threat, but for which there would be no urgency according to information from Reuters emanating from a source. According to the latter, the United States even expressed this concern to its European partners.
A nuclear weapon in orbit, really?
Still, the preparation of such a “nuclear” weapon would be surprising. Conventional weapons fired from the ground could be largely sufficient to neutralize enemy satellites. This is also what Russia did in November 2021 to destroy one of its old satellites. An operation which also endangered the International Space Station (ISS) due to a cloudcloud debris. Suffice to say that the collateral damage for its own satellites and those of its allies could be counterproductive for Russia.
It is more likely that electromagnetic weaponry, like the famous Goldeneye, would be much more effective. Unless Russia intends to deploy nuclear weapons aimed at land targets to strengthen its deterrence. This scenario remains questionable, since it would violate a space treaty dating from 1967 which prohibits any object carrying weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, into orbit. But as we learned with the invasion of Ukraine, Russia can disregard international law in an attempt to achieve its goals. While waiting to learn more, for its part, the Kremlin asserts that the allegations are nothing but tricks and lies on the part of the United States.
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