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Russia is reportedly developing a space-based nuclear weapon designed to disable or destroy satellites. The United States Congress and America's European allies were informed of Russia's plans to develop the anti-satellite capability on Wednesday (Feb. 14). It's unclear what the exact nature of the planned weapon is — that is, whether it involves detonating a nuclear explosive in space or is another anti-satellite technology powered by a space-based nuclear reactor. According to the intelligence presented to Congress, the U.S. military "does not have the ability to counter such a weapon and defend its satellites," according to a report in the New York Times. The report adds that U.S. government officials do not believe that such a weapon will be launched any time soon, but that there is "a limited window of time" to stop it from being launched and deployed. Orbital nuclear weapons are currently banned due to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, although...

Running out of gas is annoying at the best of times, let alone if you're a satellite traveling at speeds of up to 17,500 mph (28,200 km/h) high above Earth's surface. At the moment, a satellite that burns through all its fuel simply becomes space junk, adding to the vast debris field surrounding our planet. "It's the equivalent of buying a car with one tank of fuel in it, and you throw the car away when you run out of that fuel," Ray Fielding , head of space sustainability at the UK Space Agency, told Live Science. Often, the satellites are perfectly functional and just lack the fuel to maneuver around debris, he added. However, the space industry is aiming to change this paradigm by investing in projects that will allow satellites to be refueled and serviced in orbit. In addition to mitigating the growing problem of space junk , this more sustainable approach could cut down on wasted resources and reduce the costs associated with operating satellites. Rela...