Physicist warns of unseen threat in space, blames humans for a 'doomsday system'

American physicist Laura Grego has warned that an average human being's relationship with space is about to change. It is no longer going to be only of awe for infinite space, where we feel "full of connection with the universe." In an interview with The Guardian, Grego said that humanity has built a "doomsday" system and no one wants to dismantle it. Her message is clear - there is an unseen space and nuclear threat because of military satellites, rapid nuclear timelines, and the thirst to commercially claim space.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 requires space to remain a peaceful place where no nuclear weapons can be placed. But there is no clarity on using it in other ways militarily. Donald Trump wants to build a Golden Dome focused in space, and there is no rule on using it to send missiles from one part of the world to another. Grego, who is a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, “Most people don’t know we’ve set up a system that is essentially a doomsday system. And we can dismantle it. We just have not.”

Satellite crowding in space

This has happened in multiple ways. One of them is the number of satellites that will increase in space in the coming years. SpaceX is at the forefront of crowding low-Earth orbit, as out of about 17,600 active satellites currently orbiting Earth, over 9,500 belong to Starlink. The company is applying to launch up to 1 million more.

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"There are plans for tens of thousands more satellites, which would really change your relationship with what you see in the sky," said Grego. She has warned that this dramatic increase will change the human relationship with the night sky, where stargazing will be sidelined, and we will mostly be viewing dense artificial constellations.

Nuclear ‘timeline’ triggers a panic reaction

The nuclear timeline is another problem. Satellites can detect ICBMs on the ground. Once you see a missile launched your way, it creates an urgency to react; otherwise, the incoming weapon will destroy your missiles. Grego said there is a fear of "use them or lose them". The president would have less than 10 minutes to decide whether to launch ICBMs or to wait. A counterattack would result in another attack, triggering a "civilisation-ending day."

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Countries are also building systems to attack satellites of enemy countries. “You can jam them, you can spoof them, you could cyber-attack them. And that’s not totally uncommon," she said. Earlier this year, Russia reportedly tried to jam Musk’s Starlink satellites to stop Ukrainian drones. AI adds to the problem as autonomous systems could speed up decision-making with almost no accountability.

ICBMs in space

The nuclear race is worsening things, as countries push to expand their arsenal. All arms-control treaties have expired, and most countries that have nuclear weapons are involved in some kind of conflict, she said. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) go above the atmosphere and are meant to stay in the region of satellites en route to their target. "They spend most of their time in space," she said, showing how space is already being used for military purposes.

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Targeting satellites

She admitted, that even though no country has intentionally destroyed an enemy's satellite, most of these countries "are testing weapons that you could use against other satellites." The US Space Force has a new weapon that can block radio waves, preventing crucial communication. Grego also slammed Golden Dome as a "fool’s errand. It’s expensive. It’s strategically unwise, and technically just unachievable."