The US Space Command said the test consisted of a Russian satellite called Cosmos 2543.
Washington:
The United States accused Russia of testing an anti-satellite weapon in space, warning that the threat to Washington’s systems was “real, serious and growing.”
The US Space Command said it “had evidence” that Moscow “carried out a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon” on July 15.
“Last week’s test is another example that threats to US and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” the statement continued on Thursday.
“Clearly this is unacceptable,” tweeted US nuclear disarmament negotiator Marshall Billingslea, adding that it would be a “major issue” discussed next week in Vienna, where he is in talks on a successor to the new treaty. START.
The treaty caps the nuclear warheads of the United States and Russia – the two Cold War-era superpowers.
Commenting on the charges on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia supported “the complete demilitarization of space and not base any kind of weapons in space.”
The US Space Command said the test consisted of a Russian satellite called Cosmos 2543 injecting an object into orbit.
Russian state media said Cosmos-2543 was deployed by another satellite, Cosmos-2542, which was launched on November 25, 2019 by the Russian military.
The Defense Ministry said the satellite was intended to “monitor the status of Russian satellites”, but the state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta said it had the ability “to get information from someone’s satellites. another “.
The system is the same one that Space Command raised concerns about earlier this year, when it maneuvered near a US government satellite, said General Jay Raymond, head of US Space Command.
“This is further evidence of Russia’s continued efforts to develop and test space systems, and in line with military doctrine issued by the Kremlin to use weapons that endanger US and Allied space resources,” Raymond said. in a press release.
This is the latest example of Russian satellites behaving in a manner “incompatible with their stated mission,” the Space Command statement added.
“This event highlights Russia’s hypocritical plea for arms control in outer space,” said Christopher Ford, US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control.
The statement also came as China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a trip to coincide with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
