Brig.-Gen. Christopher Horner, Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division, urges Canada to take seriously Russia’s potential plans to place nuclear weapons in orbit targeting satellites. Such a development would prove cataclysmic, disrupting essential communications and GPS systems worldwide.
“Everything that we have come to rely on from a communications platform level or from a GPS level — if they were to deploy a capability like that and then detonate it — would be wiped out,” Horner states.
Global Leaders Raise Alarms
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has voiced concerns that Russia deploying nuclear weapons against satellites would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bans weapons of mass destruction in space. In December, Rutte highlighted this risk in comments to Welt am Sonntag.
Two years prior, tensions flared at the United Nations when Russia vetoed a U.S.-drafted Security Council resolution aimed at preventing an arms race in space. Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the measure as “a joke,” while the U.S. deputy ambassador at the time, Robert Wood, suggested the veto raised suspicions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that his nation opposes nuclear weapon deployment in space.
Recent U.S. briefings to Canada and other allies underscore reports of Russia’s advancing anti-satellite capabilities, amplifying international outcry.
Canada’s Diplomatic and Military Push
Horner emphasizes the need for Canada, as a middle power, to collaborate with global partners to apply diplomatic pressure and avert this threat. “From a military perspective, we really should put pressure on them not to put a nuclear weapon in space, because that would be a horrendously terrible thing for so many reasons,” he asserts.
Investing in Sovereign Space Access
The 2025 federal budget allocates $182.6 million over three years to the Department of National Defence for developing a sovereign space launch capability, enabling Canada to deploy commercial and military satellites from its own territory. Multiple initiatives advance toward establishing the nation’s first commercial spaceport.
This infrastructure ensures Canada’s reliable access to space, Horner explains, while boosting economic growth in the expanding space sector. “The space economy is growing rapidly. So from an economic prosperity perspective, it gives us access to a market we haven’t had before,” he notes.
Military advantages also loom large amid limited global launch providers and surging demand. Without domestic options, wealthier nations could dominate launch queues, driving up costs for Canada to use services from SpaceX, Blue Origin, or Rocket Lab.
Canada boasts world-class expertise in satellite design and manufacturing in cities like Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa. Horner stresses that completing the domestic space supply chain enhances national sovereignty and economic independence.
