Login
iscover
Russia has launched a new counter-space weapon into orbit, according to officials from the Pentagon.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The Russian Federation launched a Soyuz rocket carrying at least nine satellites from the Plesetsk launch site, north of Moscow on 16 May.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, speaking at a press briefing on 21 May, said one of the satellites – launched at the same altitude as an American satellite – was an anti-satellite weapon.
“Russia launched a satellite into low-Earth orbit that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low-Earth orbit,” Major General Ryder said.
“Russia deployed this new counter-space weapon into the same orbit as a US government satellite. And so assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter-space payloads from 2019 and 2022.
“And so, you know, obviously that is something that we will continue to monitor. Certainly, we would say that we have a responsibility to be ready to protect and defend the domain, the space domain, and ensure continuous and uninterrupted support to the Joint and Combined Force. And we will continue to balance the need to protect our interests in space with our desire to preserve a stable and sustainable space environment.”
Major General Ryder confirmed the counter-space weapon was launched into the same orbit as a US government satellite.
The US has previously outlined its goals to prevent the militarisation of space in the Space Policy Review and Strategy on Protection of Satellites report, published by the US Department of Defense in September 2023.
“In addition to developing counterspace weapons to threaten US use of space, China is developing and rapidly growing its ability to leverage space to enhance its own combat power to fight and win a modern military conflict,” the report said.
“Increasingly sophisticated and proliferated space-based ISR networks and improved command and control systems increase the precision and accuracy of missile systems the People’s Republic of China would employ to deter and counter US forward presence and operations, especially in the Western Pacific.
“To preserve US freedom of operations and support deterrence, the United States must be prepared to deny adversaries the ability to utilise space capabilities and services to attack the Joint Force and prevent the United States from advancing critical national security objectives.
“The department will leverage a breadth of options across all operational domains to do so. As potential adversaries increase their use of space-based services to support their combat capability, operations to deny hostile use of space could reduce an adversary’s ability to conduct attacks against the United States and its allies and partners.
“Joint Force space operations could deny an adversary’s space and counterspace capabilities and services using a variety of reversible and irreversible means, reducing the effectiveness and lethality of adversary forces across all domains.
“Operations to deny adversary hostile use of space could originate in any domain and target on-orbit, ground, cyber, and/or link segments to reduce the full spectrum of an adversary’s ability to exploit the space domain.”
