What actually happens to your phone if a war breaks out in space
The world could be sent into chaos if a space war broke out, as while the action would exist beyond our planet it would have serious ramifications on vital systems that we use on our phones every single day.
These fears surrounding the prospect of a potential space war have emerged after the United States Space Force (USSF) disclosed the existence of weapons in Earth's orbit for the first time in history.
This threatens the principles outlined by the Outer Space Treaty signed back in 1967, yet military officials indicate that it's an essential tool for protecting American from adversary attacks while not disclosing exactly what the weapon actually amounts to.
An official disclosure from the USSF could then prompt rival nations like Russia and China – who have formed their own agreements outside of the Outer Space Treaty – to take action against US-controlled apparatus in space, starting a war that would have serious consequences for us back on Earth.
Could space weapons be used against satellites?
Key to any action that takes place in space would be the prospect of weapons being used against satellites, as the growing presence of objects operated by companies like SpaceX would prove to be a key target for rival nations.
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Not only do these provide vital services for the average person back on Earth, but they have also become increasingly important for military operations, including the conflict between America and Iran that broke out earlier this year.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, US officials have indicated that the Iranian military acquired high-definition imagery from a Chinese satellite just before carrying out an attack that killed three American soldiers, showing how powerful these tools are in modern military contexts.
Targeting opposition satellites with space weapons would then naturally become a priority then, and could also lead to coordinated attacks back on Earth that take advantage of the new vulnerability.
What would happen if war broke out in space?
By far the biggest consequence of a space war breaking out would be the likely loss of GPS and navigation services, as with satellites in the crossfire these would inevitably go offline as a result.
While many would immediately think of the impact this would have on systems like Apple Maps, food delivery services, and location tagging systems on your phone, the inability to access GPS services would impact what you're able to do on a far wider scale.
Cell towers, for example, would go online despite the structures remaining unaffected on Earth, as they rely on the atomic clocks found on board satellites in order to synchronize their radio signals.
The same is true for any mobile-based payments and banking systems, as these require GPS microsecond timestamps to be verified, and without them the payment simply cannot go through.
You'd therefore be left without your phone, the ability to pay electronically, and the option to see or track your location in any way, rendering your phone effectively useless until service is restored.
Internet services provided through underground fiber-optic cables will continue as normal, yet you still wouldn't be able to use it for anything that needs GPS in any way, limiting your access to basic web browsing.
Another potentially unexpected consequence of a space war targeting satellites would be the debris falling down to Earth. While NASA is usually able to ensure that deorbit measures are operated safely, the acceleration of destroyed satellites would dramatically increase the chances of space debris hitting land, leading to potentially fatal consequences.
You also therefore need to consider the possibility of triggering the Kessler syndrome, which refers to the chain reaction of debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) leading to further debris that either crashes down to our planet or renders LEO unusable.