Nuclear Power Sources on Satellites in Outer Space

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has since 1973 closely followed the developments in military space technology. An average of about 120 spacecraft are launched each year, and about 75 per cent of them are used for military purposes. Most of the spacecraft are launched either by the Soviet Union or the United States. The satellites are of several types: for military reconnaissance, communications, navigation, meteorological, geodetic and mapping missions.

They continue to enhance the land-, sea- and air-based military forces of these countries. Satellites are used for gaining accurate targeting information. They are used for accurately guiding, for example, missiles, aircraft and naval ships carrying nuclear warheads to their targets. They are used for communications between military forces over both short and long distances.

This Fact Sheet presents background information on one of these types of military satellite—one which is destined to crash into the earth's environment and which carries a nuclear reactor.

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Contents
1. Introduction
2. Cosmos 1402
3. The need for nuclear power on satellites
4. Implications