#kessler-syndrome — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #kessler-syndrome, aggregated by home.social.
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Lasers shine a new light on the space junk air pollution problem. Via @spacedotcom #Space #Astrophysics #OrbitalMechanics #Astronomy #KesslerSyndrome 🚀 🌌 ☄️ 🛰️ #ClimateChange 🌎♨️
Lasers shine a new light on th... -
Russian Nuclear Blast In Space — When Kremlin Blasted 300 KT Of Warhead Over Kazakhstan, Displaying The Power Of EMP Attack
By Shubhangi Palve -
December 17, 2024"Could nuclear warheads wipe out thousands of satellites orbiting Earth? This concept, once explored by the Soviet Union, has resurfaced amid rising geopolitical tensions, raising alarms about the dawn of a new era in space warfare.
"On February 5, 2022, Russia launched #Kosmos2553, which settled into a remote orbit 1,240 miles above Earth—higher than most operational satellites.
"While it appears unassuming, #Cosmos2553 represents a chilling advancement in Russia’s potential to threaten military and commercial satellites using nuclear blasts in space.
"Since its deployment, U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs has kept a vigilant eye on Cosmos 2553.
"In February 2024, the White House publicly acknowledged the satellite as part of a 'troubling' Russian anti-satellite weapon program. While officials clarified it posed no direct physical threat to Earth, its potential to devastate critical satellite networks has raised alarms.
Orbit Of Concern: The Graveyard
"Cosmos 2553 orbits in a region called the #GraveyardOrbit, circling Earth every two hours. Just inside the highly radioactive #VanAllenBelts, this area is sparsely populated—only about 10 defunct satellites are out there.
"Yet, U.S. officials suggest Cosmos 2553 is a testbed for a weapon capable of obliterating hundreds, if not thousands, of satellites, which could cripple global communications and defense infrastructure.
History Of Nuclear Weapons In Space
"Both the United States and the Soviet Union experimented with nuclear detonations in space during the 1960s. These tests aimed to understand how nuclear weapons behaved in the upper atmosphere and beyond, often with unforeseen and catastrophic effects.
"The U.S. conducted 11 tests under #OperationFishbowl, with the most famous, #StarfishPrime, detonating 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean in 1962. The blast knocked out radio systems and power grids in Hawaii, leaving a trail of #radiation lingering in Earth’s #magnetosphere for years.
"Meanwhile, the Soviets carried out #ProjectK, a series of nuclear tests between 1961 and 1962. These experiments further highlighted the potential for nuclear weapons to wreak havoc in orbit—generating electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) that could disable satellites and disrupt global systems.
"In this article, we examine the Soviet Project K tests in-depth, exploring how they shaped the early days of space warfare and their lasting implications for today’s emerging threats."
Read more:
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/project-k-can-nuclear-warheads-destroy-satellites-in-orbit/#NukesInSpace #NoNukesInSpace
#LEO #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrome
#NoNukes #NoWar #NuclearWeapons #Satellites -
What Happens if a Nuke Goes Off in Space?
Russia may be planning to put a nuclear weapon in orbit. We have known since the 1960s why that is a bad idea
By Allison Parshall, June 13, 2024
"The auroras over Hawaii on the night of July 8, 1962, were unlike any that humans had ever witnessed. 'N-Blast Tonight May Be Dazzling; Good View Likely,' read a headline in the Honolulu Advertiser beforehand. Nine seconds after 11 P.M., a startling flash set the sky aglow like eerie daylight, slowly fading from green to yellow to orange before settling on a vivid, unsettling red.
"The U.S. had just detonated a thermonuclear bomb 100 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. Launched on a missile from Johnston Atoll, a U.S. unincorporated territory between the Marshall Islands and Hawaii, the bomb exploded at 250 miles above Earth’s surface—around the altitude in #LowEarthOrbit of most modern-day satellites. This event, called #StarfishPrime, wasn’t the first or last time that the U.S. or Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons in space (there were more than a dozen tests between 1958 and 1962), but it was the most impactful. The blast generated a power surge over the Pacific Ocean that knocked out about 300 streetlights on the island of Oahu—and destroyed or damaged about a third of the roughly two dozen satellites then in orbit.
" 'The Starfish Prime shot is sort of the poster child for why we don’t like nukes blowing up in space,' says Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Indeed, only a few years later, in 1967, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union signed on to the Outer Space Treaty, which forbade putting weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
"Now, some six decades after the last nuclear detonation in Earth orbit, the threat of another has emerged with the Department of Defense warning about a potential Russian program to place a nuke in space. When the United Nations Security Council recently put forward a resolution to reaffirm the ban on such weapons, Russia vetoed the measure. U.S. officials have said there is no 'imminent threat' because no warheads are known to be in space.* But they have deemed the prospect 'deeply troubling' because a nuclear detonation there today would be far more destructive than even Starfish Prime."
Read more:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-happens-if-a-nuclear-weapon-goes-off-in-space/#NukesInSpace #NoNukesInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrome #NoNukes #NoWar #NuclearWeapons #Satellites
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Orbiting Armageddon: Russia’s #EMP Threat from Space and Transatlantic Responses
Apr 17, 2025
Excerpt: "If a #NuclearBomb were detonated in orbit, the physical effects would be unlike a typical terrestrial nuclear blast. There would be no mushroom cloud or shock wave in the vacuum of space. Instead, the weapon’s energy would be released as intense radiation and electromagnetic pulses (Scientific American).
"#Satellites within line of sight of the explosion would be instantly subjected to a blinding flash of gamma rays and X-rays, likely frying their electronics on contact (Scientific American). Moments after, a powerful #EMP would form as the bomb’s gamma radiation ionizes the upper atmosphere. This process, known as the #ComptonEffect, releases billions of high-energy electrons that race along Earth’s magnetic field lines (Scientific American). The result is an expanding wave of electromagnetic energy.
"U.S. defense officials have described this kind of space-triggered EMP as a 'massive energy wave' that could 'destroy satellites' and disrupt a vast swath of the satellites that the world depends on for communication and commerce (Carnegie). In essence, one orbital blast could simultaneously knock out numerous satellites – military and civilian – that are crucial to GPS navigation, telephone and internet links, financial transactions, weather forecasting, and more.
"An EMP from space could also induce chaos on the ground. The pulse would interact with Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field to send geomagnetically induced currents surging through power lines and electronic networks (Aerospace America). In 1962, the U.S. #StarfishPrime test proved this danger: although detonated 400 kilometers above the Pacific, its EMP caused voltage spikes that blew out 300 streetlights and knocked out telephone lines in Hawaii, nearly 1,500 kilometers away (Scientific American , Aerospace America).
"An orbital detonation today, especially if positioned over populated regions, could overload electrical grids across vast areas. Transformers and grid infrastructure could be destroyed by the sudden, uncontrolled currents (Aerospace America). The scale of blackout could range over one or several countries, depending on the weapon’s altitude and yield. Experts warn that such a scenario would be devastating.
"A U.S. Congressional commission on EMP found that a nationwide power outage caused by a high-altitude nuclear blast could collapse critical infrastructure – an outcome it described as a potential
'civilization killer' if power and services were not restored quickly (Carnegie). In addition to massive economic damage, the disruption of communication and radar networks would impair defense capabilities, complicating crisis management during the very moment it’s most needed."Beyond the immediate blast and pulse, a space-based nuclear explosion would have a long-duration effect that could be even more damaging to space infrastructure. The explosion’s charged particles would become trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, forming an artificial radiation belt encircling the planet (Scientific American).
"This is exactly what happened after Starfish Prime: a man-made #RadiationBelt lingered for years, eventually destroying a third of all satellites in orbit at the time (Scientific American). In today’s environment, with thousands of satellites, the consequences would be dire. The intense radiation would bathe #LowEarthOrbit, causing surviving satellites to degrade and fail over the ensuing days, weeks, and months (Aerospace America). Many satellites that weren’t immediately destroyed would succumb to this enhanced radiation environment.
"Nearly 10,000 active satellites now orbit Earth, and most are not designed to withstand extreme nuclear radiation (Aerospace America). Critical constellations – for example, #SpaceX’s #Starlink network of small satellites (over 6,000 in orbit) that provides high-speed broadband, including to Ukrainian forces – would likely be heavily degraded or completely knocked offline (Scientific American). Replacement of satellites would be hampered as well: the orbital 'fallout' zone could remain dangerous for new satellites for years, denying space to any fresh deployments (Aerospace America). Even astronauts and cosmonauts in space could be in peril."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/PPMrQ#NoNukesInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect
#KesslerSyndrome #NoNukes #NoWar #NuclearWeapons #Satellites -
[Thread] In the news... #NukesInSpace!!!
A new US military wargame series began by simulating a #NuclearWeapon in orbit
US officials have said a nuclear detonation would render portions of low-Earth orbit useless for up to a year.
Stephen Clark – May 13, 2026
"US Space Command is inviting commercial companies to participate in a new series of classified wargames. The first exercise simulated a scenario involving a potential nuclear detonation in orbit."
#NoNukesInSpace #LEO #LowEarthOrbit #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrome #NoNukes #NoWar #NuclearWeapons #Satellites
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I certainly have thought that a good dose of Kessler Syndrome would put the tech bros and unregulated capitalism in their place, but apparently KS could mean no more space flights...for hundreds of years. Prof, is there more, and worse?
"Kessler Syndrome is extremely bad for everybody, don't hope for it (though on my grumpier days I can definitely understand that perspective)"
Future generations are not going to respect their ancestors, and I don't blame 'em
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Thinking that even if the Second Death Star all burned up in the forest Moon of Endor's atmosphere, all that metal up there would still fuck over the Ewoks, like we're finding out with all that Starlink trash coming down to Earth
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Anyone know what impact #KesslerSyndrome would have on #GNSS ?
I assume it renders these services at least partly (or even wholly) unusable, even if the satellites themselves are unaffected
We use GNSS a fair bit at work, both for staffs own navigation devices (when they are visiting clients) and the visit logging system (which confirms they are in correct location), I expect I have to prepare for disruption to this as part of #BusinessContinuity
At least it seems folk from #Zimbabwe (where many of our staff are from) get good #education on how to use #maps in high #school and their national mapping is very similar to #OrdnanceSurvey
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Oh, no reason. Why do you ask?
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Well, if #KesslerSyndrome hasn't happened yet, this *might* be the trigger.
'God of chaos' asteroid will pass close to Earth in 3 years, NASA says
Story by Emily Mae Czachor, April 15, 2026
"An asteroid the size of three football fields will pass near Earth in three years, giving scientists a rare chance to study a colossal space rock from close range.
"Named #Apophis — after the ancient Egyptian deity known as the 'god of chaos' — the asteroid is expected to zoom past the planet on April 13, 2029, according to NASA. It will come within about 20,000 miles of Earth's surface, which is closer than many orbiting satellites, the agency said. The highest satellites typically orbit around 22,000 miles above the equator."
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#ICYMI "The project imagines a new architectural typology: a hybrid between a skyscraper, a space elevator, a scientific outpost, and a planetary-scale recycling facility...Its core function is debris management" https://www.evolo.us/the-celestial-forge/ via 2025 #evolo #KesslerSyndrome
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Ooooh @sundogplanets is in @thenarwhal with https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-spacex-satellites-night-sky/ and it is incandescent with more power than a billion suns (at galactic distances) - this is the kind of collaboration the world needs! No holds barred:
SpaceX suggests that launching data centres into orbit is better for the environment. This is only true if you ignore all the consequences of satellite launch, orbital operations and re-entry.
and
One corporation based in one country should not be allowed to ruin orbit, the night sky and the atmosphere for everyone else in the world.
there's a reason Anna Maria Tremonti (famous Canadian journalist) said
As someone who has spent a career dedicated to the public’s right to know, I am cautious where I place my trust. The Narwhal has earned it.
#Journalism #theNarwhal #space #SpaceX #satellites #KesslerSyndrome
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#space #satellites #debris #pollution #spaceJunk #KesslerSyndrome
(who'd have thunken ... 🙄)
"Kessler suggested the best way to avoid the exponential growth of the collisions was to reduce the number of non-operational spacecraft left in orbit."
https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-debris/kessler-syndrome/
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"There are a lot more things in orbit now than with Artemis I"
yeah, we're all very aware of that problem....
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‘This feels fragile’: how a satellite-smashing chain reaction could spiral out of control
Today, the space around Earth can no longer be considered empty. More than 30,000 objects are in orbit, and that figure is rising exponentially
Frederick O'Brien, Ashley Kirk and Oliver Holmes
Tue 31 Mar 2026 06.15 EDT#KesslerSyndrome #KesslerEffect #SpaceXSucks #SpacePollution #LEO
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#KesslerSyndrome has entered the chat... (maybe)
Which do you think they mean?? #StarLink terminals? Or StarLink *SATELLITES*?? 🤔
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Elon Musk's SpaceX may have unwittingly* pioneered our imprisonment on Earth.
>> The big fear is that future collisions will cause a domino effect where Earth’s orbit becomes cluttered with tiny, high-speed bits of metal. That could create a near-impenetrable layer of debris that would make space launches so dangerous it would essentially trap humans on Earth. <<
* See the comment by @teknomagic
#Space #CrowdedSpace #Satellites #Astronomy #SpaceX #ElonMusk #KesslerSyndrome #Environment #SpacePollution
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Why did #TheNational #CBC tonight have an American prof and some guy from UBC on tonight about low earth orbit space junk falling out of the sky and not our own @sundogplanets :/ #KesslerSyndrome #Starlink
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English blogpost about satellites and light pollution (written in 2024, Since then, the prospects for the future have worsened again):
https://silberspur.de/blogs/read/10
DarkSky International:
https://darksky.org/#Alan #Astronomy #KesslerSyndrome #Satellites #ReflectOrbital #SpaceX #DarkSkyInternational #Science
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