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The United States has assessed that Russia likely launched a counter space weapon last week, capable of attacking a US government satellite orbiting nearby, US Ambassador Robert Wood said at the UN on Monday. This is not the first time Russia has launched a counter space weapon, but the last time it did so was in 2022. The US and its allies are increasingly concerned about Russia’s efforts to develop a nuclear space weapon capable of destroying commercial and government satellites. Russia issued at least 2 NOTAMs — Notices to Airmen — that became active on May 16 indicating a possible space launch. The US and Japan jointly introduced a UN Security Council resolution that called for UN member states not to develop space-based nuclear weapons, but Russia vetoed against it. Russia introduced its own rival resolution earlier this month, calling for the prohibition “for all time” on the placement of weapons in our space. The US vetoed it on Monday because it “does not achieve the simple task that we set out to achieve several months ago: reaffirm the basic obligations of the Outer Space Treaty and avoid a nuclear arms race in space.”
