In response to Russia testing a "anti-satellite" weapon, the United States charges Moscow of hypocrisy. The US already owns this technology, but their actions backfired when Russia tried it. These changes, according to defence specialists, could lead to a new Cold War. However, in the era of the coronavirus, this illness & the state of the economy are the only problems to be solved.
General John Raymond, the head of the US Space Command, first reported that Russia had tested a missile that was purportedly capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
The Space Force commander of operations stated that the test is just "another example that the risks to the US and allied space systems are genuine, severe, and expanding."
What is it that Russia tested?
The actual exam is still a mystery. No satellites, either intended for destruction or not, were destroyed to support Raymond's claim. The Nudol missile system in question, which is pronounced similarly to "noodle," has been under development for many years and has undergone at least five tests in recent years.
The weapon is thought to be a prospective replacement for the A-135 system, the main ballistic missile defence system installed in the Moscow region, despite the fact that there is little to no public information on it.
The new system becomes wholly defensive in such a function. It is unknown if Nudol is even capable of hitting space satellites. The US military has continued to claim that it has such a capability despite this.
Crying wolf
Gen. Raymond, though, argues that what is "hypocritical" are Moscow's repeated requests for keeping space devoid of weapons.
The test, according to Raymond, "is additional evidence of Russia's disingenuous support of outer space arms control ideas aimed to limit the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of suspending their counterspace weapons development."
Given its own ongoing anti-satellite weaponry programme, the US military should scarcely be talking about hypocrisy, according to former Pentagon official Michael Maloof.
The US really used a ground-based missile to shoot down one of its own retired satellites back in 2008.
"Recently, missile defence systems of the United States, China, and India have struck satellites in low orbit.
Staying relevant & keeping the Cold War warm
Gen. Raymond added a fresh song to the mix while also playing some Cold War songs about the bad Russians, suggesting that the US military's extensive presence in space is beneficial in some way to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
"All nations and our way of life depend on space. In this moment of crisis, where international logistics, transportation, and communication are crucial to containing the [Covid-19] pandemic, space systems are still under demand, according to the general.
It is challenging to understand how Reynolds bringing it up could serve any purpose other than to incite fear given that the virus is immune to the vacuum of space and that most nations agree that cooperation is necessary to stop the contagion.
0 Comments