Russia on Friday dismissed accusations from the United States and Britain that it had tested an anti-satellite weapon in space as propaganda.<\/p>\n
Moscow responded after the United States Space Command on Thursday accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space and warned the threat against US systems was real, serious and increasing.<\/p>\n
The head of Britains Space Directorate, Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth, also reacted, tweeting that actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space.<\/p>\n
The Russian foreign ministry insisted on Moscows commitment to obligations on the non-discriminatory use and study of space with peaceful aims.<\/p>\n
We call on our US and British colleagues to show professionalism and instead of some propagandistic information attacks, sit down for talks, the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The US said that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon.<\/p>\n
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 START treaty.<\/p>\n
The treaty caps the nuclear warheads of the US and Russia the two Cold War-era superpowers.<\/p>\n
The Russian foreign ministry said tests carried out by the countrys defence ministry on July 15 did not create a threat for other space equipment and most importantly, did not breach any norms or principles of international law.<\/p>\n
It in turn accused the US and Britain of moves to develop anti-satellite weaponry.<\/p>\n
The US and Britain naturally keep silent about their own efforts, it said, claiming the countries had programmes on the possible use of inspector satellites and repair satellites as counter-satellite weapons.<\/p>\n
Commenting earlier Friday on the accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia supports full demilitarisation of space and not basing any type of weapons in space.<\/p>\n
The US Space Command said the test consisted of Russias satellite called Cosmos 2543 injecting an object into orbit.<\/p>\n
Russian state media reported in December that a satellite called Cosmos-2542, which was launched in November 2019 by the Russian military, ejected another smaller satellite once in space.<\/p>\n
The Russian defence ministry said the inspector-satellite was meant to monitor the condition of Russian satellites, but state daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta said it could also get information from somebody elses satellites.<\/p>\n
The system is the same one that Space Command raised concerns about earlier this year, when it manoeuvred near a US government satellite, said General Jay Raymond, head of US Space Command.<\/p>\n
This is further evidence of Russias continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlins published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk, Raymond said in a statement.<\/p>\n
It is the latest example of Russian satellites behaving in a manner inconsistent with their stated mission, the Space Command statement added.<\/p>\n
This event highlights Russias hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control, said Christopher Ford, a US assistant secretary of state for arms control.<\/p>\n
The statement also came as China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a journey coinciding with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The rest is here:<\/p>\n
Russia rejects space weapon claim as 'propaganda' - Macau Business<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia on Friday dismissed accusations from the United States and Britain that it had tested an anti-satellite weapon in space as propaganda. Moscow responded after the United States Space Command on Thursday accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space and warned the threat against US systems was real, serious and increasing. The head of Britains Space Directorate, Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth, also reacted, tweeting that actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space Continue reading