American officials have accused Russia of carrying out dangerous maneuvers near a commercial satellite offering images and intelligence information for Ukraine and other countries, naming the move deliberately reckless.
The charges were raised during a debate in the United Nations on October 21st, while Moscow rejected US claims, labeling them ʹabsurdé, and accusing Washington of aggressive military ambitions in space.
According to reports, a Russian military satellite, known as Kosmos-12, was unusually approached satellite I CEY-X36, who is registered in the United States and operated by Finnish company I CEY. According to some estimates, the distance between them may have been about 200 feet [200 m].
The Leo Labs company, specialised in monitoring and analyzing space activity, told Radio Free Europe that this was not a routine approach, but a maneuver that coincides with sophisticated satellite access operations.
ICEYE-X36 uses radar technology to provide detailed images of Earth’s surface, even in cloud conditions. In January, the Finnish company signed a contract with the Ukraine Ministry of Defence to provide intelligence information.
Brian Hardesty, an American delegation adviser to the Disarmament Conference, said at a meeting of the First UN Committee in New York that the Russian satellite had shown threatening behaviour by maneuvering near a commercial satellite.
According to him, the action could be in line with an operation involving the use of weapons in orbit, while the decision to undertake such maneuvers was deliberately reckless.
The Russian representative did not directly respond to the charges, but urged UN member states to react to what he described as aggressive US military ambitions in space.
The debate comes at a time when concerns about militarising space are increasing. Last month, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink declared that the US has put space control capacity in orbit aimed at protecting American forces from hostile acts.
The statement prompted reactions among experts, while former senior American gun control official Mallory Stewart stressed that the space arms race is not a new development, but a process that has been going on for years.
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