This week, representatives of the US military and diplomacy asserted that it is possible that Russia has launched a new "counter-space weapon" that might endanger satellite networks.
In statements at the U.N., Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.S. alternate representative for special political affairs, first made reference to the alleged launch of a Russian space weapon. Security Council on Monday, before to a vote on a resolution on the prohibition of all weapons in space, which was proposed by Russia.
Mr. Wood stated that this new Russian proposal was drafted in "a hasty process that did not take into account legitimate, repeated, and shared concerns by a majority of this Council," and that Russia had previously vetoed an earlier proposal before the Security Council to prohibit the development of nuclear weapons intended for placement in Earth's orbit.
In his speech, Mr. Wood urged other members of the Security Council to vote against the Russian plan, citing the alleged Russian space launch.
“Just last week, on May 16, Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that the United States assesses is likely a counter-space weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit. Russia deployed this new counter-space weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite,” Mr. Wood said. “Russia’s May 16 launch follows prior Russian satellite launches likely of counter-space systems to low Earth orbit in 2019 and 2022.”
Together with the Russian Federation, Algeria, China, Ecuador, Guyana, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone cast votes in support of their proposal. The plan was rejected by France, Japan, Malta, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; Switzerland, the council's fifteenth member, did not cast a vote.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the press secretary for the Pentagon, reiterated American worries over the Russian space launch on May 16.
“Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we – that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit,” Maj. Gen. Ryder said. “Russia deployed this new counter-space weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite. And so assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter-space payloads from 2019 and 2022. And so, you know, obviously, that’s something that we’ll continue to monitor.”
According to Maj. Gen. Ryder, the US has an obligation to "protect and defend" the space domain. "We'll keep striking a balance between the need to safeguard our space interests and the goal to maintain a stable and sustainable space environment."
The term "counter-space weapon" can refer to a wide range of capabilities, including laser dazzlers meant to blind space-based optical sensors used for surveillance, grappling devices used to physically destroy satellites, and missiles and other kinetic systems designed to physically destroy satellites.
Maj. Gen. Ryder provided no information on how the U.S. administration thinks the Russian satellite may attack or interfere with other satellites in orbit beyond than outlining the orbit route of the recently launched Russian satellite.
Concerns over what Russia says are "inspector" craft—which may launch from their satellites and approach other objects in space—have been voiced by the US administration in recent years. Amer. One of these inspection satellites was reportedly carried by the alleged May 16 Russian space launch, according to Space Command (SPACECOM).
Shortly after midnight local time on May 17, Russia's Roscosmos space agency announced via social media that one of their most recent space launches had a launch vehicle with an unidentified "spacecraft" on board.
Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, charged that the US administration was disseminating misleading information regarding the Russian satellite launch on May 16.
“I don’t think that we should respond to any fake news injected by Washington,” Mr. Ryabkov told the Russian state-sponsored TASS news agency on Tuesday, following Maj. Gen. Ryder’s remarks.
Russia has continuously resisted putting offensive weapons in low-Earth orbit, according to Mr. Ryabkov. He emphasized that this information is not remarkable when he informed TASS that Russia has launched a number of satellites, including ones meant to bolster Russian defense capabilities.
“That is why, the Americans can say whatever they like and our policy will not change from that,” Mr. Ryabkov added.
The Russian official stated that the United States would reevaluate its objection to Russia's recent proposal against the deployment of any weapons in space if it were genuinely concerned in maintaining security in the space domain.
