US and UK accuse Russia of launching new space weapon

The US and UK militaries have accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space earlier this month.

It's the first time the US has accused Moscow of testing such a weapon.

US Space Command "has evidence" that Moscow "conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon" on July 15, it said in a statement on Thursday.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"Last week's test is another example that the threats to US and Allied space systems are real, serious and increasing," the statement continued.

"Clearly this is unacceptable," tweeted US nuclear disarmament negotiator Marshall Billingslea, adding that it would be a "major issue" discussed next week in Vienna, where he is in talks on a successor to the New START treaty.

The treaty caps the nuclear warheads of the US and Russia -- the two Cold War-era superpowers.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he hopes to avoid an "expensive" arms race with Russia and China.

The system used to conduct last week's test is the same one that Space Command raised concerns about earlier this year, when it manoeuvered near a US government satellite.

"Actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends. We call on Russia to avoid any further such testing," Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, head of the UK's Space Directorate, said in a statement on Thursday.

The US also accused Russia of conducting an anti-satellite missile test in April.

The system used to conduct last week's test is the same one that Space Command raised concerns about earlier this year, when it maneuvered near a US government satellite, said General Jay Raymond, head of US Space Command.

"This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk," Raymond said in a statement.

(with inputs from agencies)