Democracy Dies in Darkness

With a dire warning, concerns rise about conflict in space with Russia

Revelations that Russia may be seeking to deploy a nuclear weapon in space raise fears that go back to Sputnik and the dawn of the Space Age

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February 15, 2024 at 5:23 p.m. EST
Russia launched a supply mission to the International Space Station Thursday. The ISS, with Russian cosmonauts aboard, would probably be affected by any nuclear explosion in space. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation/AP)
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Russia is developing a space-based capability to attack satellites using a nuclear weapon, an aggressive move that has alarmed U.S. national security officials and lawmakers who worry that Russia could interfere with or disable critical communications and intelligence systems, according to people familiar with classified intelligence on the matter.

“This is not an active capability that’s been deployed,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday. Kirby didn’t address questions about whether the system was designed to use a nuclear weapon or was perhaps powered by nuclear energy. But, citing earlier news reports, he said he could “confirm that it is related to an antisatellite capability that Russia is developing.”