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Modern arms control verification for the Outer Space Treaty - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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On July 8, 1962, the United States detonated a 1.4-megaton nuclear weapon 400 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean. The Starfish Prime test created an artificial aurora visible from Hawaii, nearly 900 miles away, and devastated the space environment. Of the 24 satellites in orbit at the time, eight were damaged or destroyed by the blast’s electromagnetic pulse and radiation belt. For five years afterward, the artificial radiation made large swaths of space inhospitable to spacecraft. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which banned nuclear weapons in space, was born of the recognition that such weapons threaten to inflict indiscriminate, lasting damage on all orbiting satellites and on the domain of space itself. In the decades since, spacecraft have become critical to modern civilization. Accordingly, the stakes have grown dramatically. But international arms control measures—specifically space verification and monitoring for treaty compliance—have not kept pace. In 2024, National Security Adv

Modern arms control verification for the Outer Space Treaty - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists About Magazine Events Contact Store My Account Login Donate Give Now Ways To Give What Your Gift Supports Annual Event Einstein Circle Legacy Society Donor-Advised Fund Follow our Iran coverage Voices of tomorrow Modern arms control verification for the Outer Space Treaty By Isobel Porteous | Analysis | September 4, 2025 Classic space debris image showing LEO crowding and GEO equatorial ring. Image courtesy of NASA Share Copy link Linked copied Email Facebook Bluesky Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

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