Russia’s Bid for an Orbiting Nuclear Weapon Highlights a New Space Race
- Biden cites Russian ‘capacity’ for an anti-satellite weapon
- US says China and Russia developing space-attack capabilities
Photographer: Anton Petrus/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
It seemed like the 2024 equivalent of a Sputnik moment: In a cryptic statement this week, a US lawmaker privy to US intelligence warned of a grave but unspecified security threat from Russia.
After days of uncertainty, President Joe Biden offered the most detailed account yet Friday of what the danger was. Russia has been developing an anti-satellite space weapon, but it doesn’t pose a “nuclear threat” to those on Earth. In fact, Biden said, it may never go ahead.