LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is concerned about a Russian satellite test which involved the launch of a projectile with the “characteristics of a weapon”, a British official said on Thursday, calling on Russia to behave responsibly in space.
Tensions between Britain and Russia have been high in recent weeks, as Britain has targeted Russians with new sanctions, accused Russian actors of trying to meddle in last year’s election and said it has tried to hack into vaccine research.
On Thursday, the head of the UK’s Space Directorate Harvey Smith criticised Russian conduct in space.
“We are concerned by the manner in which Russia tested one of its satellites by launching a projectile with the characteristics of a weapon,” he said in a statement.
“Actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space… we call on Russia to avoid any further such testing.”
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
