Swift-satellite rescue mission starts on June 30.

Pegasus rocket. Similar to the one NASA uses in the Swift mission. 

NASA pays $ 30 million to Katalyst Corporation to save the Swift telescope. The mission will start on June 30. The air-launched  Northrop Grumman Pegasus  XL rocket will be launched from the Northrop GrummanL-1011 Stargazer jet above the Marshall Islands. The rocket transports the Katalyst capsule to low Earth orbit (LEO). There, the capsule makes contact with the Swift telescope. And pushes it out of the atmosphere. The Katalyst corporation’s operation. It can also be used for testing rendezvous and recognition tools. 

The system. That Katalyst wants to use. It is the NEXUS. The multi-mission robotic tool that can operate in rendezvous and proximity operations. The system can act as a space bus. It transports satellites to a higher trajectory. And maybe somebody is interested in using this kind of robot spacecraft as a space tug. If there is a space tug . At an orbiter. The satellite. It can be launched. By using smaller rockets. And then the tug pulls the satellite into a higher trajectory. 

Artist's view of the NEXUS robot spacecraft that assists another satellite. 

That are urgent for that kind of mission. The data. That is collected. From this mission. It can also be used for similar missions. The purpose is to push abandoned satellites straight to the atmosphere. Or, in other cases, those abandoned satellites, including the reconnaissance satellites. Those abandoned satellites that ended their career could be returned to Earth. By using a “flying garbage can”. There is a possibility that the Chinese or Russians try to collect abandoned reconnaissance or other satellites. Like GPS or communication satellites. 

“Stargazer flight path prior to Pegasus XL deployment. (Image credit: Northrop Grumman) (Space.com)

And take them to their military bases. There, their researchers could investigate those satellites' cameras and radio tools. Those systems. They can make it possible. To jam NATO communication lines. As well as data. That data. Collected from the abandoned GPS satellites can make it possible to jam the GPS system. There is a possibility that one satellite in the wrong hands. It can open a path to jam things like the Starlink system. This threat requires an ability to react fast. In the same way. Western intelligence. It can collect abandoned opponents’ satellites. 

These kinds of systems can search, track, and push satellites. To new trajectories. They can also act as an anti-satellite (ASAT) platform. The ASAT satellite just pushes another satellite into the atmosphere. And in many visions. Those satellites. They just make contact with targeted satellites. And then throw them into the atmosphere. This is one of the things that those satellite-rescue capsules can do. In some models, the killer-satellite. It shoots the gel ammunition at the targeted satellite. That ammunition is so soft. That it leaves the satellite. In one piece. But the system acts like a space tug. And then it can drive the targeted satellite into the wrong trajectory. Or it can drive that satellite into the atmosphere. 

https://www.katalystspace.com

https://www.satnow.com/news/details/5367-katalyst-space-raises-12-million-to-develop-nexus-robotic-spacecraft

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/nasa-to-launch-ambitious-mission-to-save-a-space-telescope-from-burning-up-in-earths-atmosphere

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/satellite-boosting-spacecraft-inside-air-launched-rocket-space-photo-of-the-day-for-june-12-2026

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_Pegasus

 

The Skyfall missile and beyond.

The War Zone shared new and interesting details about the Russian nuclear-powered Buresvestik (CSS-X-9 “Skyfall”) missile. The missile, also known as “Skyfall,” uses similar technology. To that of the U.S. military used in the early 1960s in “Project Pluto”. That was the attempt to make the nuclear-powered ramjet-driven cruise missile. The project is also known as SLAM (Supersonic Low-Altitude missile). Or, LASV (Low Altitude Supersonic Vehicle). The reason. For why that project disbanded. It was the radioactive track that this missile left behind it. The nuclear-powered system that SLAM used was a so-called. Direct cycle engine. The system used the air. That had direct contact with the reactor core. 

The reactor or its heat caused. An expansion of air. The air that travels through the reactor also cools it. And this system makes it possible to make fast aircraft. That has virtually unlimited operational time. The nuclear-powered ramjet-based systems can also operate outside the atmosphere. When those systems travel at high altitude. The ramjet. It can close the front hatch. And then transform to use internal gas or propellant. The nuclear-powered system can fill that internal propellant storage from the atmosphere. This type of ability can be overwhelming. 

“An air-to-air view of the Convair NB-36H Peacemaker experimental aircraft (s/n 51-5712) and a Boeing B-50 Superfortress chase plane during research and development taking place at the Convair plant at Fort Worth, Texas (USA). The NB-36H was originally a B-36H-20-CF damaged at Carswell Air Force Base. Also. At Fort Worth, by a tornado on 1 September 1952. This plane was called the Nuclear Test Aircraft (NTA) and was redesignated XB-36H, then NB-36H. And it was modified to carry a three megawatt, air-cooled nuclear reactor in its bomb bay. (Wikipedia, Convair NB-36H)

The reactor, named the Aircraft Shield Test Reactor (ASTR), was operational but did not power the plane. The NTA completed 47 test flights and 215 hours of flight time (during 89 of which the reactor was operated) between July 1955 and March 1957 over New Mexico and Texas. This was the only known airborne reactor experiment by the USA with an operational nuclear reactor on board. The NB-36H was scrapped at Fort Worth in September 1958 when the Nuclear Aircraft Program was abandoned.” (Wikipedia, Convair NB-36H)

Project Pluto. It is quite a similar system. To Buresvestnik, or Skyfall.

Tu-160 

But the system must use the arc-jet engine. The system uses an electric arc to expand the propellant. And that makes it possible to separate the propellant from the nuclear reactor and radioactive material. That denies formation of the radioactive track. 

The Skyfall missile uses. The direct cycle engine. There, the compressor presses air into the reactor. The reactor makes the gas expand. And that causes thrust. The problem is that. The Syfall, or Buresvestnik  missile. It  leaves a radioactive track. Behind it. The missile itself has virtually unlimited operational time. But it’s possible that the radioactive trail of that missile limits its operations. There is a possibility. That the Bursvestnik is meant. For returning to base. If it's not used. There is also an interesting possibility. That's the Skyfall missile. It can be fired by using an intercontinental ballistic missile. Then that missile returns to. atmosphere. This system could be revolutionary and deadly. 

Artist's impression of Bartini A-57. 

Another possibility. Is that. The Buresvestnik is also created for a testbed. That used to collect data. For more high-flying projects. It’s possible that Putin and his military commanders want the nuclear-powered version of the Tu-160 “Blackjack” bomber. This type of. Nuclear-powered system. Make it possible to create new types of aircraft. That can carry things. Like directed energy weapons. And unlimited operational range. The ability to operate outside the atmosphere. It gives that vehicle superpower. The idea for that kind of system. Like, nuclear-powered aircraft is not new. The U.S and Soviet Air forces tested nuclear-powered versions of the B-36 and Tu-95. The NB-36 made a couple of lights in the Cold War era. Same as Tu-95. The nuclear-powered propeller aircraft have their limits. 

So. The nuclear-powered ramjet-propelled systems. They can operate in a larger-scale environment. The nuclear-powered aircraft can also theoretically dive into the sea. So they could make the system. It can operate as a submarine, an aircraft, and a space shuttle. At the same time. The nuclear-powered system. It can have a very high power. 

In the Soviet era. Designer Bartini created. An idea about the nuclear-powered flying boat. Bartini A.57. The nuclear engine makes it possible to use the same system. As the sea-based flying boat-shaped space shuttle. That can operate from the water. This system. It could be very large. But it could revolutionize the space and aircraft technology. 

 https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/04/russias-tu-160m-bomber-is-making-the-most-unlikely-of-comebacks/

https://www.fw-mag.com/shownews/775/what-we-know-about-russia-rsquo-s-first-long-range-test-of-the-nuclear-powered-burevestnik-cruise-missile

https://www.sandboxx.us/news/project-pluto-the-most-insane-missile-america-ever-built/

https://www.twz.com/nuclear/here-how-russias-skyfall-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-actually-works

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartini_A-57

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_NB-36H

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160

EMP and how to protect systems against it.

Can the stealth technology protect systems against some EMP pulses? The answer is no. Or it depends on. The power of the EMP. If stealth. It can make those electromagnetic waves slide over the structure without. Inducting electricity into the structure. It can protect electronics. But if the EMP can slip into the structure. The Stealth is useless. 

All EMP systems. They are not nuclear-based. If technology can deny the EMP from reaching the microchips. It could deny their destruction. But even if a low-voltage surge. It can destroy the programming of the microchips. 

There are plans to use extremely high-power radio systems. To create the EMP fields to protect targets against the stealth fighters. The system uses impulse capacitors to create an EMP that can damage a stealth fighter’s electronics. The system uses a Marx-generator-based EMP system. That gives an EMP impulses as a series of pulses. There is suspicion that the former Duga radar (”The Soviet Woodpecker). It is also used for EMP tests. Also, there were suspicions that Duga was planned to be used as a jammer. Or the Loran type navigation system for Russian bombers. 

Duga station entered service in 1976. The Duga station was supposed to shut down after the “Chernobyl” nuclear disaster. But it continued its service until December 1989. 

The Duga system. It was one of the most powerful radio transmitters in history. The system could be used in many types of tests. The EMP role, and the role as the transmitter of the subliminal infra-sound-based propaganda, or psychological operations. It is possible, but purely hypothetical. There is almost certainty that the Soviet military and the KGB conducted this type of research. But did they use the Duga radar for that purpose? That is a different thing. 

The question in this case is. About things like whether the EMP can reach the targeted electronics. Things like. The Faraday cage. And. Optical-fiber-based technologies. Can protect the  systems more effectively. The optical fiber-based technology means that the computer microchips are inside the Faraday cage. The Faraday cage is helpless. If the EMP travels in the cage from the electric wires. The EMP protection. It must be made by using systems that disconnect the wires. When they see a nuclear explosion. The flash of the explosion activates the switch. That disconnects the system. 

"A 400-kilometre-high (250 mi; 1,300,000 ft) EMP: gamma rays hit the atmosphere between 20–40 km (66,000–131,000 ft) altitude, ejecting electrons, which are then deflected sideways by Earth's magnetic field, over a large area. Because of the curvature and downward tilt of Earth's magnetic field over the US, the maximum EMP occurs south of the detonation and the minimum occurs to the north." (Wikipedia, Nuclear electromagnetic pulse9

“A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block some electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cages are named after the scientist Michael Faraday, who first constructed one in 1836.” (Wikipedia, Faraday cage)

The problem is this. The EMP can be made by making a surge into the wire. This means that the system. It doesn’t send a light flash in every case.  The capacitor-based EMP doesn’t require the explosives. The NNEMP (Non-Nuclear EMP) can be the next-generation tool for the military.  It can shut down electronics. Just before the commando strikes. The NNEMP system. That. Uses coherent radio waves (Radio masers) can also send the EMP pulses through the Faraday cage. The system must aim the radio waves through the holes of the metal net. Another way is to use a drone that shoots an electric wire through the EMP protector. When the EMP system sends an impulse. That electric wire conducts the EMP pulse into the EMP-protected room.  

And information travels between those microchips in optical fibers. That makes the system more immune to the EMP. The key question in EMP protection is this. Can the EMP affect electronics? Or can it touch electronics? The problem with traditional computers is their wires. The EMP inducts. A high voltage in those wires. And that damages microchips. The Faraday cage can protect computers. 

Only if the cage is fully separated from the outer space. Any wire or antenna that crosses the cage transfers the EMP into the cage. The reason why those EMP pulses are so hard for defenders is that. They have such a large-scale wavelength. That. Making a jammer against those systems is very  hard. To make. The jammer should cover all the wavelengths. That the EMP involves. And its power must be very strong. There is theoretical research. About things like counter-EMP. But the problem is that the nuclear-based EMP is so strong. And the EMP. That turns incoming EMP away must be launched precisely at the right moment. The problem is that the EMP is a radio wave. That scatters from every direction. 

The problem with the EMP pulse is that it destroys microchips very effectively. The protective system. It can be based on the idea that the computer is in a Faraday cage. The sensor system communicates with it wirelessly by using laser communication. Another way is to offer the EMP pulse a route past the sensitive electronics. The system can use the superconducting wires. That offers the route to the electromagnetic field. The wire itself is in the Faraday cage, which means it will not send electromagnetic radiation into its environment. 

If that kind of system can be made. It can also conduct the radar impulses away from the transmitter. The idea is that the system forces the radio waves to travel in the desired direction. The best way to protect buildings against the EMP is to enclose them in a Faraday cage. The metal cage. That surrounds. The house can protect electronics against the EMP. The sensors and the internet. It can work by using laser communication or optical fibers through the walls. 

If EMP destroys the sensor or router. The crew can take a new one outside. But that requires. That the house be completely surrounded by the Faraday cage. The system must also use power sources that are inside the house. One single wire. That which is not protected can conduct the EMP inside the protective cage.   But there is always a possibility that a drone lands on the roof of the house. Drills a hole in the roof. And drops the electric antenna inside it. Then the system can conduct the EMP pulse into the house. 

https://science.howstuffworks.com/e-bomb3.htm

https://passive-components.eu/capacitors-to-generate-high-voltage-pulses-with-marx-generators/

https://www.slideserve.com/colby/electromagnetic-pulse-emp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_electromagnetic_pulse

Are the Chinese testing the EMP weapons?

"A notional illustration of China's Shenlong space plane above Earth. (Image credit: Erik Simonsen/Getty Images) (Space.com)

Chinese Shelong shuttle released a mystery object into space again. 

Chinese small miniature shuttle Shelong released a mysterious object into space. The purpose of those tests is unknown. The Shelong space plane is a highly classified system. There are many unknown things about that small spacecraft. But the main role of the miniature shuttles is to assist military projects. The Shelong shuttle might test its ability to handle things like small nuclear explosives. Or some kind of spaceborne kill vehicles. The killer satellite itself might be very small. It could be a space mine. 

It can be like the aircraft’s rocket cassette with a maneuvering rocket system. The system. It can use kinetic energy kill devices. Or it can use the systems that push satellites off their trajectories. Or maybe those systems can involve a small neutron bomb whose mission is to create an electromagnetic pulse. The EMP pulse form. When gamma-rays impact the atmosphere. That thing. It can destroy satellites. And if the impulse is powerful enough. The EMP pulse is the thing. That destroys the satellite. But leaves its shell in one piece. 

Those kinds of systems can shut down electronics. In 1962, the U.S military conducted a high-altitude nuclear test called “Starfish Prime”. That high-altitude test shows how powerful the EMP pulse can be. The Starfish Prime. It was 1,4 mt. High altitude nuclear test. The electronics at that time were less vulnerable than they are today. Still today, people remember that Starfish Prime closed the entire Honolulu. It also destroyed satellites. And one of the reasons why the results were so small in space. 

That there were only a few satellites orbiting the Earth. Starfish Prime raises a question. What would happen? If the 1,4 mt thermonuclear explosive detonates above a modern city?  The EMP and radioactive belt that the weapon left could destroy even hundreds of satellites. We know that the Soviets developed EMP weapons during the Cold War. Those weapons can be detonated suddenly outside the atmosphere. And it can cause large-scale damage to the satellite fleet. And the EMP pulse destroys both its own and enemy satellites. The radioactive plasma belt also denies communication between satellites and ground stations. 

"Imagery of China's Shenlong space plane caught on camera in 2024 by Felix Schöfbänker in Upper Austria. (Image credit: Felix Schöfbänker)"(Space.com)

The synthetic gamma-ray burst can make it possible. To create the EMP pulse. 

The beta-radiation from nuclear reactors. They can be used to make the synthetic gamma rays. The system can use cathode radiation. Or electrons that it shoots between the cathode and the anode. The laser beam that travels into that particle flow. It can make them send X or gamma rays. Then that gamma-ray. It will be conducted to the air tank. There, it turns into the EMP pulse. The Shenlong shuttle can test this kind of technology. The high-power gamma rays can be made in the device that Senlong releases. The cathode system. It can be in the mystery device. And then the laser system. It can be in Shenlong. 

In the previous tests, Shenlong released six mystery capsules. And that means that. The idea might be to test how this system works. It is to test how far the Shenlong must go. That the possible EMP pulse will not damage its systems. The gamma-EMP-based space mine can be an interesting tool. Gamma-rays can be made by using antimatter annihilation. The system must pull beta-electrons through the thin gold plate. That turns electrons into anti-electrons, or positrons.  The magnetic system traps those antimatter particles near the air tank. And then. It puts those electrons and positrons. Annihilate. That gamma-ray burst. It can form an EMP pulse in the atmosphere or an air tank. 

The problem with EMP weapons is. How to limit its power and protect its own satellites? 

There is a possibility. The Shenlong tests the systems. That mission. It is to give a limited-scale EMP. The limited or weak EMP means the system. That blocks satellites from the limited areas. The problem is: How to create gamma rays with a limited energy level? And control those gamma rays. And that can be. The reason. For why. The satellite Kosmos 954 carried a nuclear reactor. There is a possibility that the RORSAT(Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite) satellites. If the system can create a free electron cloud. And then shoot a laser beam at those electrons. It can create synthetic gamma-rays. 

Use nuclear reactors to create gamma or beta rays. Beta rays are electrons that a nuclear reactor sends. If the system launches laser beams into those high-energy electrons. They could send the gamma-rays. The gamma-impulse that hits the atmosphere. Can form an EMP pulse. In the same way, if those gamma-rays can be shot into the air tank. Or a tank that is filled with plasma. That radiation. It can send EMP impulses. That destroys other satellites. 

https://orbitaltoday.com/2023/12/27/chinas-shenlong-releases-six-mysterious-objects/

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/chinas-space-plane-appears-to-have-released-a-mystery-object-in-orbit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US-A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime

New autonomous fighters entering service.

Autonomous jet fighters are actually large-sized drones. Those drones can operate like manned jet fighters. They can make almost all missions as humans. And those drones can be robotic versions of regular fighters. Like F-15,F-16 and F/A-18. Or they can be specially made for drone missions like Kratos QF-58 “Valkyrie”, or FQ-42, and FQ-44. The idea of robotic jet fighters is not new. During WW2, there were plans to create a Western version of the “Kamikaze”. The Western version of the Kamikaze. It was a remote-controlled. An aircraft that could dive to the target and be controlled from other aircraft. The first attempts to use remotely controlled aircraft, like radio-controlled B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses, against German V-1 production. 

Those early drones were unsuccessful. And the reason for that was primitive technology. Another idea was that CAM ships were equipped with radio-controlled V-1 or later Regulus missiles. The idea was that those systems could attack enemy ships. Even if “Operation Aphrodite” was unsuccessful. The idea of those long-range drones remains. 

But then, long after the WW2. Things, encoded radio transmitters, and more effective computer technology made those systems suitable for operational use. There were ideas to use the target drones. Like QF-4 Phantoms.  And QF-16 fighting Falcons. Also. For Kamikaze missions.  Those drones could also fly. With manned aircraft. And pull the enemy's notice to them. The drone can fly into enemy airspace. And then the enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft systems. They can aim at those non-stealth aircraft. And the F-35 type stealth aircraft can follow them. 

The first so-called killer drones were MQ-1 “Predators” and MQ-9 “Reapers”. Those drones were and are made for anti-guerilla operations. So they are vulnerable to air defense and other drones. There is also. A possibility to use the robot jet fighter in attack missions. Those systems require the same technology. As those slower drones. But in those missions, the problem is electronic warfare. But advanced AI makes those systems more effective. The main problem with “Predators” and “Reapers” is that they are slow. They have an old-fashioned stealth technology. And this makes them an easy target. Those systems are used to force the enemy to open fire. And then stealth aircraft will attack those flak systems. 

But the problem is that. The robot aircraft requires more advanced stealth technology. And independent AI to accomplish their missions. The modern jet fighter. It can cooperate with drones. The drone can fly near the fighter. And it can be used for attacks at low altitude and high-risk targets. Those drones can make the attack. When the jet fighter is backward. The drone can have internal warheads. It can also be equipped with missiles and bombs. 

In some ideas, the B-52 type strategic bombers. They could be transformed into robots. The system finds its targets. The aircraft. It can find its targets using radars and other systems. In some cases. The small stealth aircraft can drop a drone. On the roof of the target. The bomber or attack fighter activates the target locator by using radar. A drone can use a radio transmitter. Or it can use lasers to point at the target. And then the bomber. It can drop its weapons on that target. 

In original ideas, the system that uses crossing radio signals will make the aircraft. To fly into its target. The crossing radio signal over the target makes the system open the bomb hatches and drop them. The system is based on the “Loran” technology. The aircraft. It flies to the target by using the radio beam. That is aimed at the target. Then the aircraft crosses the first crossing radio signal. That orders it. To open bomb hatches. Then another crossing radio beam orders the aircraft to drop its bombs. The problem was: how to deny the enemy from spoofing the radio signal. The answer was the encoded radio transmission. 

Another version was the AI that uses the TERCOM system. Or a TERCOM-inertial hybrid system.  To find the target. The system can use optical image recognition for search and lock onto the target. This means that independently operating drones. They are more immune to electronic warfare. Than the remotely controlled systems. 

The system requires training. And the thing is that. The F-35 can collect data that those drones require. Those drones can also operate independently. And the air-to-air capable drones. They can be launched against the enemy bombers and fighters from catapults. The drone-plane. It can also carry anti-radiation missiles. Those systems can be used against the electronic warfare systems. And they can open a path to other drones and aircraft. 

https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-production-of-autonomous-fighter-jets

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aphrodite

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-1_Predator

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TERCOM

Can private corporations offer a chance to respond? To the new challenges in space?

“SpaceX launched the NROL-179 mission for the U.S. government early Friday morning (June 19) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (Image credit: SpaceX) (Space.com, SpaceX launches new batch of US spy satellites from California (video))

SpaceX  launched NRO recon satellites from Vandenberg. Details of those satellites are classified. But because NRO operates reconnaissance satellites. Those satellites’ mission is  connected to intelligence operations. This means that the U.S. strengthens its spaceborne abilities. 

But that launch itself. It causes discussions. About the role of Elon Musk and the SpaceX corporation in governmental operations. Those satellites play a vital role in space-based targeting and other types of missions. And they offer the ability. To see things that are hidden from other actors. The space gives SpaceX the possibility to rule those areas. And people are concerned about the strength. Of the SpaceX corporation. 

NASA attempts to save the SWIFT telescope. It can also have dimensions. That we ever imagined. The Katalyst corporation is the actor behind the satellite. That should do the mission. 

The same rockets that can transport things.Like satellites to space. They can also be used to carry killer satellites. NASA plans to launch. A miniature satellite that takes the Swift telescope by using manipulators. The satellite can push the SWIFT telescope into the right trajectory.  By using the hydraulic piston. The satellite can also use manipulators to throw the telescope. Or a miniature satellite. It can be used as a space tug. That pulls the damaged telescope to the right trajectory. The satellite that should do that mission is made  by the Katalyst corporation. 

And the knowledge of the satellites' trajectories is the thing. That allows them to affect them. And we know that the same system. That can push  space telescopes. Into another trajectory. That system can also throw other satellites into the atmosphere. This makes the attempt to rescue the space telescope by using another satellite. That will be launched by using the Pegasus rocket. The Pegasus is an airborne-launched system. That rocket. It can transport a small satellite to the orbiter. And the satellite. It can use similar systems. These are used in the case of the Swift telescope. For pushing the targeted satellite back into the atmosphere. And those kinds of systems. 

The mission profile for that service flight. For the rescue SWIFT telescope. 

They can be used to find and affect killer satellites. Or. So-called sleeping FOBS (fractional orbital bombardment system) satellites. Those spaceborne nukes. They  can be used for surprise attacks. The FOBS satellite. It can be used as a nuclear-based EMP(electromagnetic pulse) system. In simulations. The EMP impulses can be used to prepare the opponent for a nuclear strike. The idea in those systems is that a high-power nuclear explosion at high altitude paralyzes electronics before the nuclear mass raid. In 1962, the high altitude nuclear test “Starfish Prime” was conducted above Honolulu. The 1,4 megaton exoatmospheric nuclear explosion caused electronics to be destroyed all around Honolulu. 

Modern electronics are more vulnerable to spaceborne nuclear explosions and their EMP pulses than 1960’s primitive technology. The EMP causes a situation. All communications are shut down. The jetfighters. They cannot rise to defense. And it’s possible that missiles cannot be launched because the EMP destroyed their electronics. Or the transmitters that should transmit launching signals are destroyed. The ability to find those FOBS satellites. It makes it possible to deny the surprise attacks using the sleeping nuclear detonation satellites. There is. The ability to push them into the atmosphere is the thing. That makes them unable to complete their missions. 

The problem with the nuclear-powered EMP is that. The 1,4 megaton hydrogen bomb is not the limit of those weapons. The EMP weapon. It can be much more powerful than the 1,4 megaton bomb. Used in Starfish Prime. The EMP satellites can also form a network all around the world. The large-scale EMP strike can have a destructive effect on fleet and ground-based infrastructure. 

Wikipedia says the Russian killer satellite program is like this: “Nivelir (Russian: "dumpy level"; Project 14K167) is a class of Russian military low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites widely believed to be co-orbital anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) with secondary space surveillance missions. The spacecraft are often compared to Matryoshka "nesting dolls". As each contains a smaller inspector subsatellite, which can itself. Deploy one or more kinetic kill vehicles (KKV).” Wikipedia, Nivelir) 

The first of those satellites was launched in 2022. And there is a possibility that the Russians plan to create Earth-orbiting nuclear-armed satellites. Those satellites can drop a nuclear bomb on cities. Or they can detonate their internal warheads in surprise attacks. Detonating those satellites is not very difficult. The system is like a high-tech car bomb. When that satellite is in the right position. The system. It gives a launching code. Then the nuclear warhead detonates. The only problem is that EMP also destroys friendly satellites. 

https://www.nro.gov/Portals/135/Documents/news/Press%20Kits/10463_Press%20Kit%20book_Launch_Pro-Arch179_6.11.26.pdf?ver=0v03xnXSpOK_ni7ywyhemw%3d%3d

https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/10/01/nasa-awards-30-million-to-katalyst-space-technologies-to-rescue-500-million-satellite/95080/

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-spy-satellite-launch-nrol-179-nro

https://www.the-sun.com/news/14598954/russian-killer-satellite-us-spacecraft/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_Orbital_Bombardment_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nivelir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime