What would actually happen if a nuclear weapon were detonated in space?

This isn't just the stuff of science fiction — it's a scenario that researchers have studied closely, and the implications are deeply unsettling. From disrupting satellite a nuclear detonation in space would have immediate, global consequences — even without a single casualty on the ground.

In today’s episode, we’re exploring how our growing dependence on space-based infrastructure — for communications, surveillance, and national security — is changing the conventional calculus around nuclear deterrence.

How are major nuclear powers, including Russia, responding to this shifting landscape? Are we on the verge of a space-based nuclear arms race? And what can be done now to preserve space as a peaceful domain?

My guest is Bill Hennigan, author of the At the Brink series, which   We recorded this conversation live at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference — and it’s a fascinating look into how the nuclear order may be evolving in ways that are still underappreciated.