(RepublicanNews.org) – The United States says Russia recently launched a satellite that may have the capability to target other similar probes in orbit.
Brig Gen Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, announced on Tuesday, May 21st, that Russia has “launched a satellite into low Earth orbit” and that according to their assessment it “is likely a counter space weapon.”
Ryder said that a U.S. government satellite (USA 314) is traveling on the “same orbit” as the new Russian probe (Cosmos 2576), raising national security concerns. He added that they would continue monitoring the new satellite and are prepared to protect U.S. interests in space, while Russia has yet to comment on the launch.
The rivalry between Moscow and Washington over controlling outer space goes back decades, of course, and the modern revival sees the two world powers competing over the issue of weaponization of space. Experts have warned for years that space would eventually become the next frontier in weapons development and warfare as the world becomes more dependent on technology, and that nuclear weapons in space would be devastating to humanity.
In recent UN debates, each nation accuses the other of trying to put weapons into orbit. On Tuesday, May 21st, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused America of wanting to create an “arena for military confrontation” in space.
Back in February, the White House announced that they believed Russia was developing a new nuclear weapon to launch in space, but that it was not yet deployed. The Center for Strategic and International Studies also released a report last year that suggested new anti-satellite weapons were in development in Russia. The U.S. issued a warning to Russia over the program.
Concerns over Russia targeting U.S. satellites have grown since the start of the war in Ukraine, and the Kremlin has warned America before that any satellites used to aid Ukraine could become targets.
Ryder vowed that the Pentagon would uphold its “responsibility to be ready to protect and defend” U.S. domains in space.
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