Russia's satellite launch sparks US security concerns

During a press conference held on May 21, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced that on May 16, Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit, which is likely an anti-satellite weapon capable of attacking other satellites. Ryder added that a US government satellite is in the same orbit. The Russians dispute these reports.

The Russian satellite was launched on May 16 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. In a statement issued the following day by the Russian state space agency Roscosmos, it was noted that a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket was used for its launch and that the launch "is in the interest of the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defence."

The device was supposed to reach the same orbit as the US government satellite. According to the Military Portal, it could be a satellite catalogued as USA-314. The service recalls reaching orbit at the end of April 2021 and is an "electro-optical reconnaissance satellite of the KH-11 type, working for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denies reports about deploying the Russian anti-satellite weapon. According to the Reuters agency, citing Interfax, Ryabkov said Russia "has always consistently opposed the deployment of strike weapons in low Earth orbit." He also called American claims "fake news."

Russia, along with China, the United States, and India, has long been working on various concepts of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. This type of weapon's main task is to destroy the opponent's objects deployed in space, particularly satellites. It is not something new; it is considered to be as old as the satellites themselves. Countries ensure that along with their development, they also have the means to eliminate them effectively.

For example, in the 1950s, Americans tested the Bold Orion and High Virgo systems and a programme for destroying satellites through nuclear explosions in space—HARDTACK-Teak. In 1962, the US also decided to carry out the Fishbowl operation, which was a test of a thermonuclear bomb at high altitude. Meanwhile, in the 1950s, Russians developed the "Satellite Destroyer" programme. They also worked on the NR-23, a special 23-millimetre aircraft cannon for destroying space targets.