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Washington:
The United States accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in area, warning that the menace in opposition to Washington’s techniques was “real, serious and increasing.”
US Space Command mentioned it “has evidence” that Moscow “conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon” on July 15.
“Last week’s test is another example that the threats to US and Allied space systems are real, serious and increasing,” the Thursday assertion continued.
“Clearly this is unacceptable,” tweeted US nuclear disarmament negotiator Marshall Billingslea, including that it will be a “major issue” mentioned subsequent week in Vienna, the place he’s in talks on a successor to the New START treaty.
The treaty caps the nuclear warheads of the US and Russia — the 2 Cold War-era superpowers.
Commenting Friday on the accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned Russia helps “full demilitarisation of space and not basing any type of weapons in space.”
The US Space Command mentioned the check consisted of Russia’s satellite tv for pc known as Cosmos 2543 injecting an object into orbit.
Russian state media has mentioned that Cosmos-2543 had been deployed by one other satellite tv for pc, Cosmos-2542, which was launched on 25 of November 2019 by the Russian army.
The protection ministry mentioned the satellite tv for pc is supposed to “monitor the condition of Russian satellites,” however state day by day Rossiyskaya Gazeta mentioned it has the power to “get information from somebody else’s satellites.”
The system is similar one which Space Command raised considerations about earlier this 12 months, when it maneuvered close to a US authorities satellite tv for pc, mentioned General Jay Raymond, head of US Space Command.
“This is further evidence of Russia’s continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin’s published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk,” Raymond mentioned in an announcement.
It is the most recent instance of Russian satellites behaving in a way “inconsistent with their stated mission,” the Space Command assertion added.
“This event highlights Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control,” mentioned Christopher Ford, a US assistant secretary of state for arms management.
The assertion additionally got here as China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a journey coinciding with an identical US mission because the powers take their rivalry into deep area.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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