Russian spaceships are chasing an American satellite used for espionage in other countries, the commander of the US space forces said.
“This is unusual and disturbing behavior that could create a dangerous situation in space,” General John Raymond, head of the space force, told Business Insider.
“The United States believes that such actions do not reflect the behavior of a responsible space power.”
The two Russian satellites are within 160 kilometers of the US satellite, and the United States has raised concerns about the issue through diplomatic channels, Raymond W. J. Hennigan said.
In November, Russia launched a “satellite from which a second satellite subsequently separated,” and the pair behaved similarly to what Russia had previously called “survey satellites,” Raymond said.
He said that 'in any other area,' such a move 'would be interpreted as potentially threatening behavior.'
The Russian embassy in Washington did not comment on the situation.
The maneuvering of Russian satellites was spotted by Michael Thompson, a space enthusiast.
This is all circumstantial evidence, but there are a hell of a lot of circumstances that make it look like a known Russian inspection satellite is currently inspecting a known US spy satellite.
– Michael Thompson (@M_R_Thomp) January 30, 2020
“This is all circumstantial evidence, but there are a lot of circumstances that make it look like Russian satellites are currently checking a US spy satellite,” Thompson wrote on January 30.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the satellite maneuver, in which one satellite separated from another, was an experiment to assess the “technical condition of satellites,” according to the TASS news agency.
Sources: Photo: Courtesy of Michael Thompson
