Image source, Roscosmos via Reuters
- Author, Jaroslav Lukiv
- Role, BBC News
The United States says Russia launched a satellite last week that it says may be capable of attacking other similar probes.
“Russia has launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we believe is likely an anti-space weapon,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Tuesday evening.
It is in “the same orbit” as a U.S. government satellite, he said, adding that Washington would continue to monitor the situation and must be prepared to protect its interests.
Russia has not publicly commented on the matter.
Moscow and Washington – two global rivals – have clashed repeatedly over the issue of space weapons at the UN in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of seeking to militarize space.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the United States was seeking to transform space into an “arena of military confrontation.”
A number of military experts have long warned that space will likely be the next frontier of warfare in a world increasingly dependent on technology.
On Tuesday, General Ryder said the Pentagon believed the Russian satellite was “likely capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit.”
“Russia has deployed this new anti-space weapon in the same orbit as a US government satellite.
“Thus, the assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed anti-space payloads, from 2019 to 2022.
“We have a responsibility to be prepared to protect and defend the space domain, and to ensure continued and uninterrupted support to the Joint and Combined Force,” added the Pentagon spokesperson.
Separately, a spokesperson for the US Space Command told the Reuters news agency that the satellite was “likely an anti-space weapon, likely capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit.”
The spokesperson said the satellite – Cosmos 2576 – was launched on May 16 from Russia’s Plesetsk cosmodrome, about 800 km (497 miles) north of Moscow.
In its statement, Russian space agency Roskosmos said the May 17 launch was “in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.” It said its Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle had been used.
The different announced launch dates could be explained by the fact that the Moscow time zone is three hours ahead of GMT.
Neither Moscow nor Washington provided further details.
But space analysts say Cosmos 2576 appears to be in the same orbit as the American satellite USA 314.
Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has warned that US satellites aiding the Ukrainian military could become legitimate targets.
In February, the White House admitted that Russia was developing a “worrisome” new space weapon, but insisted it had not yet deployed it.
This came after a senior Republican congressman issued a cryptic warning about a serious national security threat, sparking intense rumors around Washington DC.
A report released last year by the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies suggests that Russia is developing a range of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, including a missile that was successfully tested against a defunct satellite of the Soviet era in November 2021. .
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News Source : www.bbc.com
