spacetoday.net: US claims new Russian satellite is an anti-satellite weapon

Posted: Sat, May 25, 2024, 12:14 PM ET (1614 GMT)
The US government says a Russian satellite launched last week is a counterspace weapon. During a UN Security Council session Monday, Amb. Robert Wood said that the satellite, launched last Thursday, "is likely a counterspace weapon, presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit," adding that the satellite is in an orbit similar to an American satellite. Independent satellite trackers had noted that Cosmos 2576 was in an orbit that shared parameters with USA 314, a reconnaissance satellite. The statement came in a debate by the Security Council on a Russian resolution seeking to ban the placement of all weapons in space, after Russia vetoed a resolution last month about banning placement of weapons of mass destruction, like nuclear weapons, in orbit. The resolution failed to pass after seven members of the council voted for it and seven against, with one nation abstaining.