spacetoday.net: Russia tests anti-satellite weapon

Russia tests anti-satellite weapon

Posted: Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 10:26 AM ET (1426 GMT)
Russia tested an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon Wednesday, drawing a strong rebuke from the US military. The test of the direct-ascent ASAT, a ballistic missile called Nudol, did not appear to hit a satellite, and was just the latest in a series of tests of the system dating back to 2014. However, Gen. John Raymond, commander of US Space Command and US Space Force Chief of Space Operations, criticized the test in a statement, calling it "yet another example that the threats to US and allied space systems are real, serious and growing." Raymond previously criticized Russian tests of an "inspector" satellite that came close to an NRO reconnaissance satellite.