Intro

U.S. officials have acknowledged a growing fear that Russia may be trying to put a nuclear weapon into orbit.

Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains that their real worry is that America could lose the battle for military supremacy in space.

Guest: Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The U.S. warned its allies that Russia could put a nuclear weapon into orbit this year.
• The Pentagon is in the early stages of a program to put constellations of smaller and cheaper satellites into orbit to counter space-based threats of the sort being developed by Russia and China.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.