The U.S. Space Command said Wednesday it is tracking a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test Russia conducted to prove if it can interfere with or destroy satellites in low earth orbit.
“Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, SPACECOM commander and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations, said in a released statement. “The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the nation, our allies, and U.S. interests from hostile acts in space.”
Space Command officials said the most recent test follows unprofessional behavior observed in February when two Russian satellites, Cosmos 2542 and 2543, tailed an American satellite, USA 245, also known as the KH-11. Time Magazine reported the Russian satellites loitered within 100 miles of KH-11, activity Raymond called “unusual and disturbing,” similar to Russia’s past risky, high-velocity confrontations in international airspace.
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