The Pentagon named the target of an anti-satellite missile that Russia allegedly launched during tests. According to the Space Command of the US Armed Forces, an apparatus put into orbit by the Soviet Union was hit, TASS reports.
"On November 15, 2021 Moscow time, Russia tested an anti-satellite rocket with direct launch into orbit, which hit a Russian satellite (COSMOS 1408), which led to the appearance of fragments in low Earth orbit," the ministry said.
They added that Moscow continues to develop weapons for use in space, which undermines strategic stability and poses a threat to other countries.
Earlier, the United States called the Russian tests of anti-satellite weapons "reckless". According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, space debris caused by the destruction of the satellite threatens the safety of the International Space Station (ISS).
The UK adheres to a similar position. The head of the country's Defense Ministry, Ben Wallace, also said that Russia had neglected the safety of outer space by testing anti-satellite weapons, thereby creating a threat to satellites and spacecraft.
Marina Sovina