(Web Desk) - Russia's brazen plan to put a nuclear weapon in space could threaten satellites that enable military and civilian communications for the US and other western allies.
It is unclear what exactly Moscow plans to put into space, but according to early reports from unnamed US government sources, a space-based nuke would be used to attack satellites in orbit rather than strike targets on the ground.
While nuclear bombs are usually thought of as weapons meant to cause large numbers of casualties and mass property destruction, in space the strategy appears to be the creation of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
When a nuclear bomb goes off, whether on land or in space, it creates an EMP. This burst of electromagnetic energy can disable or destroy electronic equipment - including satellites.
If a Russian orbiting weapon attacked US satellites, it could effectively cripple the US, causing nationwide blackouts and shutting down communications.
Cell phone towers, internet, GPS, banking systems, power grids, first responders and military operations could all be impacted.
The US does not currently have defenses against such a threat, and if satellite-based communications were destroyed, getting them back online would require maneuvering remaining satellites into place and launching new ones on rockets - both of which days or weeks.
The warning signs of such an attack are already there. In 2021, Russia demonstrated its capability to shoot down satellites with missiles launched from Earth, destroying one of its own decommissioned satellites.