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The United Kingdom said Russia’s space operations “are at risk of causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites.”
Accusations by the United States and the United Kingdom that Russia recently tested anti-satellite weapons in space are “distorted,” says Russia’s defense ministry.
“Tests carried out [on 15 July] it did not create a threat to other spacecraft, “the ministry said, adding that it had not violated international law.
Moscow previously said it had been using new technology to conduct checks on Russian space equipment.
But the United States and the United Kingdom said they were concerned about satellite activity.
“We are concerned about the way Russia tested one of its satellites by launching a projectile with the characteristics of a weapon,” the head of the UK space directorate, deputy air marshal Harvey Smyth said Thursday.
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It is the first time that the United Kingdom has made allegations of Russian test firings in space, and comes just days after an investigation said the UK government “seriously underestimated” the threat posed by Russia.
The US State Department also said it had noted Russia’s use of “what appears to be a real anti-satellite weapon in orbit.”
What has Russia said about its satellite tests?
In a statement on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that one of the country’s “inspector” satellites had “carried out a verification of a Russian spacecraft at close range with the use of small specialized devices.”
He said the operation “did not violate any norm or principle of international law.”
The ministry accused the United States and the United Kingdom of “trying again to present the situation in a distorted way to … justify their steps to deploy weapons in space and raise funds for that purpose.”
“We view this latest anti-Russian attack as part of an information campaign launched by Washington focused on discrediting Russian space activities,” the statement added, quoted by Interfax news agency.
Moscow previously said last week’s satellite test had resulted in the recording of “valuable information on the technical condition of the object under investigation.”
Why are the United States and the United Kingdom concerned?
In a statement Thursday, General Jay Raymond, who heads the United States Space Command, said there was evidence that Russia had “carried out a test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon.”
“This is further evidence of Russia’s continued efforts to develop and test space systems and [is] in accordance with the military doctrine published by the Kremlin to use weapons that keep American and allied space assets at risk, “he said.
United States Under Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford accused Moscow of hypocrisy after he said he wanted gun control to be extended to space.
“Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States without intending to halt its own counter-space program,” he said.
The United States said the Russian satellite system was the same one it expressed concern about in 2018 and earlier this year, when the United States accused it of maneuvering near a US satellite.
Vice Marshal Smyth added: “Actions of this type threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to the satellites and space systems on which the world depends.”
Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and China are among more than 100 nations that have committed to a space treaty that stipulates that outer space must be explored by all and for purely peaceful purposes.
The treaty adds that weapons must not be placed in orbit or in space.
