The UK and the US blame Russia for launching a satellite weapon in space. To whom does space belong?
The UK and the US have blamed Russia for testing a weapon-like projectile in space that could be utilized to target satellites in orbit.
The US State Department described the recent use of "what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry" as concerning.
Russia's defence ministry earlier announced it was adopting new technology to perform tests on Russian space equipment.
The US has earlier established attention about new Russian satellite activity. But it is the first time the UK has produced complaints about Russian test-firing in space. They come just days after an inquiry stated the UK government "badly underestimated" the warning posed by Russia.
In a report on Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, Christopher Ford, blamed Moscow of hypocrisy after it stated it wanted arms control to be increased to space.
"Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counter-space program," he stated.
"Actions like this threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends," he stated. He asked Russia to be "responsible" and to "avoid any further such testing".
The UK, Russia, China, and the US, are among more than 100 countries to have performed to a space treaty that specifies that outer space is to be explored by all and completely for nonviolent intentions.
The treaty adds that weapons should not be stored in orbit or in space. This Russian test of what the Americans say is an anti-satellite weapon that is part of a pattern of recent Russian space activity. In February, the US military declared that two Russian satellites shifted close to an American one, and in April Moscow test-fired a ground-based satellite interceptor.
Only four countries -India, the US, Russia, and China - have demonstrated an anti-satellite capability over the past decades. Anti-satellite warheads have been taken over by aircraft or rockets, and satellites have also been illuminated by lasers.
A test of a new Russian satellite took place on 15 July to conduct tests on the country's space equipment, Russia's defence ministry said at the time.
"During testing of the latest space technology, one of the domestic satellites was examined close up using the specialized equipment of small spacecraft," the ministry stated, according to Interfax news agency.
It continued that "valuable information about the technical condition of the object under investigation" had been recorded.
