Russian Space Nuclear Weapon Could Devastate Satellites in Low Earth Orbit: Pentagon Official

Russia is developing a space-based nuclear weapon that could make low Earth orbit —where the majority of satellites are located—unusable for a year if detonated, according to a senior Pentagon official. During a May 1 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee, John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for Space Policy, warned about Russia bringing nuclear weapons into space. “Russia is also developing a concerning anti-satellite capability related to a new satellite carrying a nuclear device,” he wrote in his written testimony. “This capability could pose a threat to all satellites operated by countries and companies around the globe, as well as to the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial, and national security services we all depend upon.”...