Sharon Weinberger
Security

Satellite-Killer Story Implodes

Did the U.S. secretly test an anti-satellite weapon on a Russian research satellite? No, says the U.S., and the whole story (or non-story) sounds a bit ludicrous. Apparently, after a Russian satellite stopped working recently, unnamed Russian experts suggested it could have been targeted by the U.S. military, according to MSNBC: Russian space experts are […]

Did the U.S. secretly test an anti-satellite weapon on a Russian research satellite? No, says the U.S., and the whole story (or non-story) sounds a bit ludicrous. Apparently, after a Russian satellite stopped working recently, unnamed Russian experts suggested it could have been targeted by the U.S. military, according to MSNBC:

Anti_sat

Russian space experts are wondering whether the United States used an anti-satellite weapon last month to kill a small Russian research satellite, the Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

The claim that the Pentagon intentionally crippled the satellite brought an almost immediate denial from U.S. military officials.

"There's no way this is a credible story," U.S. Navy Capt. James Graybeal, spokesman for the U.S. Strategic Command, told MSNBC.com. "We've checked with everybody, we have talked to everyone."

Is it that terribly hard to believe that the satellite just malfunctioned?