In 1962, "Starfish Prime" space nuke destroyed 1/3rd of LEO satellites
The US and Japan advocate a UN resolution to enforce the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, aiming to ban nuclear weapons in space due to concerns over Russia's activities. Upholding the treaty is crucial for global security.
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The US and Japan are pushing for a UN Security Council resolution to uphold the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, prohibiting nuclear weapons in space amid concerns about Russia's potential development of such weapons. The treaty emerged from past nuclear tests like Starfish Prime in 1962, which caused significant damage to satellites and infrastructure on Earth. With the current reliance on satellites for various essential services, the impact of a nuclear attack in space would be devastating globally. The potential targeting of satellite constellations like SpaceX's Starlink poses risks not only to space infrastructure but also to life on Earth, especially in vulnerable regions. Deploying nuclear weapons in space is deemed to have no military value and would lead to indiscriminate dangers. Experts emphasize the importance of upholding international commitments like the Outer Space Treaty to prevent catastrophic consequences and maintain global security.
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6 commentsLong-term disruptions in the Earth's magnetic field resulting from explosion, effectively exposing satellites to space radiation as if they were in the Van Allen belt instead of LEO, could do that. But certainly not the radioactivity produced by the explosion proper. It probably didn't have any impact on anything, either short or long term. Certainly not on satellites.
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