NYT: USA Takes Sudden Measures To Counter Russia's 'Space Weapons'

It is known what the Pentagon has undertaken.

The Pentagon has launched several satellites to detect Russian and Chinese missiles that could be launched at US facilities in orbit. This came hours after the US announced that Russia was developing weapons for such strikes, The New York Times. reports.

The satellites launched are hypersonic and ballistic space tracking sensors. Within five years, the Pentagon is going to cover low-Earth orbit with hundreds of such satellites. The Space Development Agency of the military department will spend almost $14 billion on this. The satellites will be produced mainly by large military suppliers - Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

The expectation is that even if enemies of the US manage to disable some US satellites, the system will continue to operate, switching to other vehicles in the orbital web.

A prototype of the Pentagon's two-satellite network was launched on February 14 using a Space X rocket. Testing of the system will continue over the next few years.

Previously, the U.S. military created satellites the size of a school bus, which took decades to buy and build, and years to launch, said U.S. Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hicks. Now, she said, the Pentagon is moving to create a constellation of inexpensive satellites that can be "launched almost weekly."

The new space constellation will counter a "serious threat to national security," which was previously reported by Mike Turner, chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Turner's message was "related to the anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing." At the same time, he emphasised that Russia has not yet deployed its technology.

Kirby also said that President Joe Biden had ordered to start negotiations with Russia on the issue of weapons in space.