US Space Command Claims Russia Tested Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile

© Photo : Senior Airman Melody Howley//US Space Force General John Raymond, U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, signs the United States Space Command sign inside of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar building Jan. 10, 2020, on Cavalier Air Force Station, North Dakota.
General John Raymond, U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, signs the United States Space Command sign inside of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar building Jan. 10, 2020, on Cavalier Air Force Station, North Dakota.  - Sputnik International
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The US Space Command issued an announcement Wednesday, claiming it had knowledge that Russia had reportedly conducted a test for a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile.

"Russia's DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to US and allied space systems are real, serious and growing," Gen. John W. Raymond, commander of US Space Command and chief of space operations for the US Space Force, said in a statement accompanying the alert.

"The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies, and US interests from hostile acts in space."

The announcement alleges that the test was carried out on Wednesday, and that the service is tracking the test.

The release comes months after US officials sounded the alarm in January, claiming that Russian inspector satellite Kosmos-2542 was "chasing" a US spy satellite. At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the allegations by stating that the US was attempting to use the allegations as an excuse to prompt a space race.

"We would like to point out that the movement of our spacecraft did not pose a threat to the US satellite and, most importantly, did not violate any norms and principles of international law," the ministry said in a comment to Sputnik in mid-February.

The ministry has not yet issued a response to the US' latest claims.
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