New Star Wars. Why is the event afraid of the Russian Space Program
The White House has confirmed that Russia develops a sustainable potential, which is "alarm", after the statements of leading members of Congress and further reports that Russia is working on orbital sipping weapons. This news caused anxiety about the inevitability and degree of such a threat. The use of n nuclear weapons (PSZ) will be a direct challenge to the standards of responsible behavior in space and will pose a serious threat to satellites of all countries.
Regardless of the availability of such a system, nuclear and cosmic threats from Russia require a solid response from the United States, their allies and partners. Patient weapons exist almost as much as satellites. It is used to destroy or eliminate satellites or by physical destruction (cut into a satellite with a rocket or other satellite), or with non -inotic attacks, for example, with electromagnetic obstacles, lasers and cyberattacks.
Satellites that rotate in space are necessary for everyday life on Earth. Data passing through satellites support positioning, navigation, time and communication that modern society is entrusted to - from financial transactions to navigation on a global positioning system (GPS). In addition to civilian purposes, space systems support safe military and government communications, such as intelligence, command and control, missile attack and more.
It follows that an opponent who wants to cause serious violations can try to attack satellites. Although the devastating sippers have not yet been used in hostilities, countries such as Russia, India, China and the United States have demonstrated their ability to use such weapons by destroying their own companions. Since the dependence of the countries on space is increasing, the ability to risk satellites in other countries becomes an important ability to concern.
In addition, the tests of the sipping system have led to the formation of a large amount of orbital debris, which is a problem for the broader international community of space states. Today, Russia has a number of capabilities of sipping protection: from cyberattacks and the suppression of satellite signals to land sip -sip -satellite missiles.
In recent years, US officials and open source researchers have expressed concern that large Russian satellites have launched smaller "subsidiaries" satellites who are able to approach American satellites, create obstacles to them and potentially destroy them.
In order to resist these counter -cosmic threats, the United States sought to increase the sustainability of their space systems, while increasing international standards against nuclear weapons in space and destructive testing of the sipping system. In the case of commissioning, a possible Russian nuclear sip -s) will be tested by US efforts and international standards.
The United States move from a small number of large, expensive and complex satellites to the constellations of smaller and cheaper satellites, more resistant to kinetic attacks. But the threat of nuclear attacks on satellites can change these calculations. In 2017, General John Haitten, the then head of the US Strategic Command, reported that he would no longer "support the purchase of large satellites who are interesting goals.
" In part, thanks to space development agency, the US space forces have moved to architecture, which is more relied on to group small satellites. The kinetic attack from the ground on any separate small satellite would be extremely ineffective. But a nuclear attack is a broader problem.
Nuclear explosion in space will lead to a significant increase in radiation in orbits used by a number of US military satellites, which will lead to their degradation within weeks and months after the explosion, unless they are specially protected from radiation. The so -called altitude nuclear explosion in low -Earth orbit satellites will also harm thousands of civilian satellites of all countries, which will make it a real weapon of mass destruction.
Moscow has the history of placement of satellites with nuclear engines that do not have nuclear weapons; But Russia is currently activating its satellite program with a nuclear installation. Nuclear motors can generate additional energy to power electromagnetic interferences, radars and other technologies that can be used for sipping purposes.
Nuclear energy in space can also be used to bring spacecraft, which will allow the space tool to change orbits more often than a satellite that works on conventional motor installations. However, a nuclear -free nuclear satellite potentially alarm than a nuclear satellite, as it will not violate the norms and will not allow Russia to disable most of all satellites in the orbit.
The United States has long supported the principle of non -depreciation of weapons of mass destruction in space, and in recent times they have mobilized support against the destructive tests of the sip -sip -in -space system in space. The key element of international law here is the Cosmos Treaty of 1967, which, among other provisions, prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction in outer space, which would be a very destabilizing factor.
The deployment of Russian sipping nuclear weapons in orbit would become a gross violation of this principle. Most recently, Baiden's administration has approved for the United States an obligation to refrain from destructive tests of sip-s) of direct lifting systems and convinced several like-minded countries to make similar promises.
The purpose of this moratorium on the destructive testing of the sipping system is to increase the predictability in space and to reduce the formation of dangerous space debris. Although nuclear -weapons sip -in -air system will improve the Russian anti -tanning potential, challenge the US space strategy, undermine the norms and be alarmed by allies, it seems not to give qualitatively other opportunities to the Russian Arsenal.
Any country with an intercontinental ballistic missile (MBR) with a nuclear warhead can blow up nuclear weapons in space. Both the United States and the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons in space during the Cold War. In recent years, Russia has announced the development of several new so -called "exotic" nuclear weapons, including nuclear winged rocket with nuclear weapons and underwater drones, which Western analysts are difficult to understand.
This new weapon does not add considerable military potential to the nuclear arsenal of Russia, which is capable of causing unacceptable damage to the US territory. Although there are probable ways by which nuclear -free sipping system could be more effective than a nuclear explosion, which is delivered by intercontinental ballistic missile in space, such development may be similar in practical effect to the rest of this part of this class of exotic nuclear weapons.
Serious concern, in addition to the most potential weapon, is that such development will be a gloomy news for future weapons control and can potentially provoke a race for arms in space. If Russia abandoned the Cosmos Treaty to place such weapons (or deploy it without leaving the treaty), this act would even signal the expiration of the era of legally compulsory agreements on the restriction of weapons between the United States and Russia.
Even if it is deployed, the nuclear sipping potential will not lead to a significant revision of the balance of the US and Russia forces in space or on Earth. However, the United States, their allies and partners must respond. This event should serve as a further incentive for US space planning experts to take the prospect of using nuclear weapons in space.
For example, nuclear scientists pay great attention to the prospect of limited forced use of nuclear weapons by US opponents in the early stages of war between the great powers. Space planning experts should evaluate this risk and ensure that there are plans for high -level conflicts resistant to the loss of unprotected space systems, or by strengthening sufficient systems, or by ensuring the presence of alternative sensing and communication options.