The US claims that Russia launched a satellite last week, which it suspects is capable of targeting other satellites. Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder stated on Tuesday evening that the satellite was placed in low Earth orbit and is likely a counter-space weapon. The satellite is reportedly on the same orbit as a US government satellite, prompting Washington to monitor the situation closely and prepare to defend its interests.
Russia has not commented on these allegations. The issue of space weaponization has recently caused friction between Moscow and Washington at the UN, with both nations accusing each other of militarizing space. Earlier, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the US of trying to turn space into a “military confrontation arena.”
Gen Ryder highlighted the Pentagon’s belief that the Russian satellite, possibly capable of attacking other satellites, mirrors characteristics of previous counter-space payloads deployed in 2019 and 2022. The Pentagon stressed the importance of protecting and defending the space domain to ensure uninterrupted support to the Joint and Combined Force.
A US Space Command spokesperson told Reuters that the satellite, known as Cosmos 2576, was launched on May 16 from Russia’s Plesetsk cosmodrome. However, Russia’s Roskosmos space agency stated that the launch occurred on May 17, due to the time zone difference. Roskosmos confirmed that the launch was for the Russian defense ministry using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket.
Space analysts noted that Cosmos 2576 is in the same orbit as the US satellite USA 314. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it has warned that US satellites aiding the Ukrainian military could become targets. In February, the White House acknowledged that Russia was developing a “troubling” new space weapon but stated it had not yet been deployed. This followed a senior Republican congressman’s cryptic warning about a significant national security threat.
A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC last year indicated that Russia is working on various anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, including a missile successfully tested against an old Soviet-era satellite in November 2021.
