The U.S. and the U.K. accused Russia of testing a weapon-like satellite that can target satellites in orbit. The two countries said that the testing is a concerning matter that needs to be discussed.
But the Russian government denied all allegations. According to the country's defense ministry, the said testing used a technology that performs checks on the Russian space equipment.
Before that incident, the U.S. government has already raised some concerns about Russia's satellite activity. However, this is the U.K.'s first time to make accusations against Russian test-firing in space. It came just days after when the U.K. government said they had underestimated the threat posed by Russia.
U.S. and U.K. Accuse Russia of Satellite Test-Firing in Space
Christopher Ford, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, calls out Moscow for its hypocrisy after the latter said it wanted control of arms in space and not only in the U.S.
He added that Russia intends to regulate the United States' capabilities but do not mean to do the same on their counter-space program.
Meanwhile, Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, the United Kingdom's head of space directorate, expressed his concerns about Russia's latest satellite test. He described as having the "characteristics of a weapon."
"Actions like this threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends," Smyth said. He urged Russia to avoid any similar testing in the future and be responsible for their actions.
More than 100 nations have committed to a space treaty, which stipulates that all nations are free to explore the outer space and be purely for peaceful purposes. China, the U.K., the U.S., and Russia were among those countries.
Furthermore, they also agreed that they would not place weapons in orbit or space. But according to the U.S., the Russian satellite system was the same one that raised concerns in 2018 and earlier this year when the U.S. accused it of moving closer to an American satellite.
According to U.S. space command head Gen. Jay Raymond, there was evidence that this latest event by Russia is a test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon.
"This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems and [is] consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold the U.S. and allied space assets at risk," he added.
Space is the New Battlefield
The Russian test is part of a pattern of recent Russian space activity. The first one was in February in which Russian satellites are moving closer to an American satellite, and the second one was in April when Moscow test-fired its ground-based satellite interceptor.
For the past decades, only four countries have demonstrated the capability of anti-satellite. This includes China, India, Russia, and the U.S. These anti-satellite warheads have been carried by aircraft or rockets, and also satellites that have been illuminated by lasers.
Interest in developing weapons that destroy other country's satellites is growing given the increasing reliance of countries on satellites for various purposes like intelligence gathering, communication, navigation, and an early warning device.
There are no treaties yet limiting such weapons in space, although some countries have already expressed some agreement to have one.
However, in military terms, space has become the new battleground. Many countries organize commands for their armed forces to deal with the defensive and offensive aspects of protecting their space-based systems.