Democracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. says Russia probably put ‘counterspace weapon’ in orbit to attack satellites

Russia’s Kremlin has denied claims by the Pentagon that it has launched a “counterspace weapon” into orbit, amid fears of a growing space war.

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Updated May 22, 2024 at 2:03 p.m. EDT|Published May 22, 2024 at 11:44 a.m. EDT
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket takes off May 17 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP)
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The U.S. government has assessed that Russia recently launched a “counterspace weapon” into orbit that could be used to attack satellites, U.S. officials said this week, adding to concerns about a new frontier for conflict between the nations.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Tuesday that it had assessed that Moscow had launched a satellite into low Earth orbit last week that was “likely a counterspace weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit.”