The race to prevent satellite Armageddon

IN EARLY 2021 Micross Components, a designer of highly specialised circuitry in Melville, New York, received an intriguing request. An American aerospace giant wanted components that could protect a military system’s electronics from the radiation generated by a nuclear detonation. Micross signed the contract, and set about doing the work, but was left in the dark about why such a system would be needed. The puzzle pieces fell into place earlier this year, says Mike Glass, a product manager at Micross, when American officials began to talk about Russian plans to place a nuclear weapon in space.