Russia said on Tuesday it had successfully conducted a weapons test targeting an old Russian satellite and denied allegations by the United States, Britain and NATO that the test had been dangerous for orbiting spacecraft.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the debris from the test had not posed a threat to the ISS, and that Washington knew this.
“The Russian Ministry of Defence successfully conducted a test on Nov. 15 that hit the non-operational Russian spacecraft Tselina-D, which had been in orbit since 1982,” it said in a statement.
It said the United States, China and India had conducted similar tests in the past.
Russia, it said, was being forced to beef up its defence capabilities because of what it said were weapons tests by the United States and Washington establishing a space force in 2020.
Moscow said it had called for years for an agreement to stop weapons being deployed in space, but that Washington and its allies had blocked the deal at the United Nations.
Credit: reuters.com
