In-Orbit Anti-Satellite Weaponry test: US has blamed Russia for a wide range of activities including cyber-attacks on organizations involved in coronavirus vaccine development, human rights issues, and using Russian mercenaries to destabilize Libya.
U.S. And U.K. Accuse Russia Of Testing In-Orbit Anti-Satellite Weaponry
In-Orbit Anti-Satellite Weaponry: The US and UK militaries on Thursday blamed Russia for leading a space-based anti-satellite weapon test earlier this month, saying that a Russian satellite discharged an object capable of targeting on a satellite.
It’s the first run through the US that has blamed Moscow for testing such a weapon.
“U.S. Space Command has evidence that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon,” the command said in a statement, saying that on July 15, Russia “injected a new object into orbit from Cosmos 2543,” a Russian satellite that has been in orbit since 2019.
The statement added that the new “object” was released in proximity to another Russian satellite, an activity that the command said was “inconsistent with the system’s stated mission as an inspector satellite.”
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The allegation comes in the midst of elevated pressures among Washington and Moscow over a scope of issues. As of late, the US has blamed Russia for a wide range of activities including cyber-attacks on organizations involved in coronavirus vaccine development, human rights issues, and using Russian mercenaries to destabilize Libya.
Interestingly, the US launched its own SpaceX is to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on June 30, to deliver an upgraded global positioning satellite (GPS) into orbit for the U.S. Space Force.
NASA aims to land the first woman on the Moon and the next man on the Moon by 2024. This mission is known as the Artemis Program.
This is NASA’s latest mission to explore Mars, and one of four potential journeys to the Red Planet in summer 2020. The new NASA Mars rover will search for signs of life, collect rock samples, and test a new technique for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere which could pave the way for future human missions to Mars.
Starlink – SpaceX
Commercial space company SpaceX plans to launch a pioneering new satellite system, with the aim of providing global high speed internet connection from space.
Solar Orbiter
The European Space Agency and NASA’s new probe is designed to study our Sun close up. Launching in 2020, the mission will help us analyse the ‘heliosphere’, the vast bubble of charged particles that surrounds the whole Solar System, and examine the Sun in greater detail than ever before.
Chang’e 5
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is planning to launch a mission to the Moon, reportedly in late 2020. The mission will consist of both a lunar rover and a system designed to land on the Moon, collect samples, take off again and return the samples to Earth.
Boeing CST-100 Starliner
SpaceX is not the only company working to transport astronauts to the ISS. Boeing’s spacecraft, known as CST-100 Starliner, is also designed to carry both crew and cargo to the space station. Both companies are aiming to be the first to send astronauts into space from American soil since 2011. However, like SpaceX, Starliner has faced launch delays.
