Russia allegedly sent anti-satellite weapon into space and to US satellite
A week ago, Russia sent a satellite into space, which is now traveling with a US spy satellite. Washington is talking about a weapon.
(Image: muratart/Shutterstock.com)
A few days ago, Russia may have sent a satellite into space that is capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit (ELO) and is primarily targeting a US spy satellite. At least that is the conclusion reached by the US government, as a Pentagon spokesperson and the country's UN ambassador have already stated. According to independent observations, both can only refer to a satellite that was launched from the Russian cosmodrome Plessezk on May 16 and bears the name "Kosmos 2576". Its orbit is strikingly similar to that of the US spy satellite USA 314, according to Dutch expert Marco Langbroek. The Russian satellite behaves similarly to predecessors that were observed in 2019 and 2022.
Apparently US spy satellite as a target
The US government first made the allegation public on Monday at the United Nations Security Council. There, a Russian resolution against an arms race in space failed after seven of the 15 member states voted in favor and seven against, with a veto by the USA. The US government has once again accused Russia of manipulative tactics and renewed its accusation that Russia wants to station nuclear weapons in space. On this occasion, US Ambassador Robert Wood stated that Russia was also working on military capabilities for use against satellites and referred specifically to the satellite launch on May 16. Russia has rejected the US accusations.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the spokesman for the US Department of Defense added that the new satellite was in the same orbit as a US government satellite. When asked whether it posed a threat to the US government, he simply replied: "Let's put it this way, it's an anti-satellite weapon in the same orbit as a US government satellite, so ..." However, he did not comment on the capabilities that the US government attributes to the satellite. In a similar case, to which he was probably referring, the US military criticized Russia two years ago for deploying a satellite that was probably intended to spy on one of the USA. "The behavior is completely irresponsible," it said. At the same time, however, there was no mention of a possible attack on its own satellite.
In February, US reports about Russia's nuclear ambitions in space caused a stir. The nuclear potential was said to be directed against satellites and could therefore pose a threat to national and international security. However, US President Joe Biden also said that there was "no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world". Russia's President Vladimir Putin reacted to the reports and assured that he was against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. Since then, the dispute has also been played out at the UN Security Council, where both states have failed to pass resolutions on the subject.
(mho)