Space power play: US criticized for undermining international security
3 Min Read
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova rebukes the US for attempting to replace established international security mechanisms with vague principles of a 'rules-based world order'.
-
A soldier wears a US Space Force uniform during a ceremony for U.S. Air Force airmen transitioning to U.S. Space Force guardian designations at Travis Air Force Base, California, United States, February 12, 2021. (AP)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the US for seeking to replace legally-binding international security mechanisms with vague norms of a 'rules-based world order'.
According to Zakharova, the US has been advocating its own strategy by promoting a "set of norms of ‘responsible’ behaviour within the framework of their concept of a 'rules-based world order.'"
The spokesperson also responded to statements from outgoing US Assistant Secretary of Defense John Plumb, who dismissed Russian-Chinese initiatives on preventing an arms race in space as a "political ploy" with unverifiable adherence.
"The US is an ardent opponent of Russian initiatives to prevent an arms race in outer space. Strong opposition to the aforementioned Russian-Chinese draft treaty has long been an integral part of American foreign policy," Zakharova said in a Telegram post.
In turn, the Russian Embassy in the US echoed similar sentiments, accusing the Pentagon of using Russophobic slogans to justify its militarization of space plans.
The embassy's statement read, "We consider the Pentagon’s manipulations of information to be further proof of US attempts to use Russophobic slogans to justify its own plans for militarizing space."
Meanwhile, the US is pushing a UN Security Council resolution on the non-deployment of nuclear weapons in space, amid US media claims of Russian anti-satellite nuke deployment, which Moscow denies and dubs "unfounded accusations".
US unveils program to detect hypersonic missiles
The US Space Development Agency (SDA) is reportedly collaborating with California-based EpiSci to create a software tool for detecting hypersonic missiles in low Earth orbit using satellite data, according to reports from February.
The SDA aims to establish a network of 100 satellites in low Earth orbit for tracking hypersonic movements and issuing alerts, as per reports from SpaceNews. The primary hurdle in the project lies in creating software capable of effectively processing data from satellite sensors within the atmosphere and extracting accurate information.
In pursuit of this objective, EpiSci has entered into a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the SDA, enabling the testing of its artificial intelligence-driven software against data obtained from sensors in low Earth orbit. The aim is reportedly to detect and track hypersonic activity effectively.
The announcement coincides with the recent disclosure from the US Department of Defense, stating that six reconnaissance satellites have been deployed into orbit for the purpose of monitoring hypersonic weapons and aircraft.
Read more: Space race; Cosmic dash to the dark side of the moon
