Q-and-A: How ARA is Addressing High-Altitude Nuclear Effects

Colorado Springs, CO, March 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) will highlight its advances in space technologies at the 40^th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs April 7-10. The symposium, themed “Building Partnerships to Secure our Future,” aims to unify the space community, providing collaboration, innovation, and education from worldwide government and commercial leaders like ARA.

ARA has extensive experience supporting numerous government programs coupled with a deep bench of subject matter expertise enabling the company to deliver leading edge solutions addressing evolving threats within the space domain.

At the conference, ARA experts will highlight the company’s capabilities in high-altitude nuclear effects, among other space-related areas of concern. Mark Etheridge, engineering director for the Nuclear Environments and System Assessments (NESA) directorate, answered some questions about high-altitude nuclear detonations and what is being done to address the potential threat they pose.

Q: What is a high-altitude nuclear explosion?

A: A high-altitude nuclear explosion is a nuclear detonation in space, occurring above the earth’s atmosphere, at altitudes of roughly 18 miles or higher. These explosions have different physics than nuclear and conventional surface or air detonations, producing unique effects due to the lack of air density in conjunction with their interactions with the Earth’s magnetic field.

Q: Why do we care about high-altitude nuclear explosions?

A: One noteworthy effect of a high-altitude nuclear explosion is the electromagnetic pulse (EMP). EMP is a complex nonlinear phenomenon, producing intense energy in the form of radiation that can have devastating effects on critical technologies and infrastructure that we rely on every day. Radiation from these detonations can cause significant damage or destruction to electrical grids, and a wide range of other electronic systems and devices. In addition to EMP, prompt radiation, may also damage or destroy satellites, including their solar arrays and internal electronic components. Because of their potentially crippling effects, high-altitude nuclear explosions could be used as a form of electronic warfare.

Q: What is ARA doing to address this problem?

A: We are uniquely poised to help our government customers understand high-altitude nuclear effects by leveraging our extensive history in nuclear weapons effects, modeling and simulation, nuclear hardening and survivability, EMP testing, electromagnetics, space weather, and more. ARA’s NESA directorate is focused on national security and infrastructure. We are driven by technical challenges, and NESA serves as a leader in EMP assessments and hardening​.

Within NESA, we perform research, development, testing, and evaluation of technologies related to nuclear environments. Our scientists and engineers conduct laboratory and field electromagnetic (EM) testing​, and develop innovative EM test equipment, EMP hardened equipment and facility designs​, low cost, easy-to-install EM​ monitoring equipment, and more. Our subject matter experts can apply these capabilities to help our government customers better understand and address nuclear effects with the evolving domain of space.  

For more information on ARA’s Space Symposium participation, visit https://www.ara.com/spacesymposium/.

JOIN US
Booth 410

About ARA

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) was founded in 1979, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to offer science and engineering research to solve problems of national importance. ARA delivers leading-edge products and innovative solutions for national defense, energy, homeland security, aerospace, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. With over 2,300 employee-owners at locations in the U.S. and Canada, ARA offers a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, biomedical engineering, environmental technologies, and blast testing and measurement.

Attachment

• High-altitude Nuclear Effects

CONTACT: spacesymposium@ara.com