United States claims that Russia has deployed an object that may be a weapon targeting satellites in space

The US accused Russia of launching a potential anti-satellite weapon into orbit, claiming it could target other satellites, including US assets in space. Moscow confirmed the launch but hasn't commented on the accusations.

Russia launched a satellite into orbit last week and the United States says it could be a new anti-satellite weapon to attack other satellites.

“Russia sent a satellite into low Earth orbit which we believe is a counter space weapon,” Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. He said it was orbiting in the same orbit as a US government satellite.

Ryder stated that the US has a “responsibility to be ready to protect and defend” its assets in space. He said the Russian satellite demonstrated behavior that appeared similar to counter space payloads previously launched by Moscow in 2019 and 2022.

A representative of the US Space Command stated to Reuters that Cosmos 2576 was most likely a counter-space weapon, that could attack other satellites operating in low Earth orbit The satellite was launched on May 16 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

Russia’s state space agency Roscosmos said it had launched a satellite on May 17 “for the ministry of defense. ” But, officially, Moscow has not said anything regarding the allegations of the US.

The allegations emerged at a time of increased confrontation between the two competitors in the field of militarization of space. Russia has accused the US of intending to transform space into a theater of war or a battlefield. ”

Experts note that Cosmos 2576 seems to be maneuvering in close vicinity of an American satellite known as USA 314. Since its attack on Ukraine, Russia has threatened that American allies might face becoming a focus of aggression if they support Ukraine’s military.

Also Read: Disruptive technology of NASA in deep space, the laser transmission breakthrough

The US has previously claimed that Russia is building new ‘disturbing’ capabilities to target satellites. A 2022 report said that Moscow was developing a range of space weapons and a missile used to destroy an old Soviet satellite.