REPORTS that Russia could be developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon have sparked concern among space experts.
Nuclear space weapon expert Dr Michael Mulvihill recently revealed his own concerns in a piece for The Conversation.
The expert from Teesside University explained in his article that "a nuclear attack on space infrastructure would also indiscriminately affect life on Earth."
He added that this "would have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable nations in the global south."
This is because these nations rely the most on space systems for things like food security and water supply management.
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Such space systems are also used to provide internet access, an example of this being Elon Musk's Starlink network.
Dr Mulvihill warned that a nuclear space attack would also risk retaliation and an escalation towards nuclear war.
The expert is calling for the United Nations to reaffirm a 50-year international commitment.
This commitment is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST).
Both the US and Japan are said to be calling for this to be reaffirmed by the UN security council.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the country does not intend to violate the OST.
Russia is one of the 114 nations that supports the treaty already.
The idea of a nuclear anti-satellite weapon isn't new though.
Rumors and reports of these weapons have been cropping up since Cold War in the 1960s.
With regards to the rumored weapon that Russia is said to be making, The White House claims it is not operational.
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It's also not said to pose an immediate threat to humanity.
