Is Russia readying a nuke to blow up Starlink?

US officials are ringing alarms about Russia’s new nuclear anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon, a deployment that could transform Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) space into a dangerous no-man’s land.

This month, multiple media sources reported that US officials have recently revealed concerns about Russia’s development of a nuclear ASAT weapon capable of making LEO unusable.

The concerns surfaced in statements made by US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Mallory Stewart and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb highlighting the ongoing developments and their potential threats.

Russia allegedly possesses a test satellite in an unusually high radiation orbit, which is claimed to be for electronic testing but contradicts typical scientific satellite deployments.

This development could lead to the deployment of nuclear devices designed to disrupt satellite operations across civilian, commercial and military sectors by detonating in LEO, which ranges from approximately 100 to 1200 miles above the Earth.

Despite no immediate deployment, US officials emphasize the indiscriminate impact of such a weapon capable of damaging satellites and compromising global communication, weather forecasting and security services essential for modern society.

The idea of using nuclear weapons for ASAT missions is not new. In a January 2022 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, Aaron Bateman notes that during the Cold War, US anxiety about Soviet orbital nuclear weapons prompted the Kennedy administration to approve Project 437, a nuclear-tipped ASAT weapon.

However, US scientists learned that high-altitude nuclear blasts could destroy or damage US satellites and indiscriminately damage electrical infrastructure on Earth,