Uneven Contest Between Russian, US Spy Satellites: Russian General

SPACEWAR

File photo of the Soviet spysat, Cobalt, in a museum.

Moscow (AFP) Nov 11, 2005
At least 12 US spy satellites are orbiting over Russian territory compared to just a single Russian one over the continental United States, the deputy head of Russia's space forces said Friday.

"Twelve or 13 US information satellites are monitoring us constantly, compared to only one Russian satellite," RIA Novosti news agency quoted General Oleg Gromov as saying.

Financing for Russia's space sector amounts to 800 million dollarsmillion euros) a year -- 30 times less than in the United States, RIA Novosti quoted Anatoly Perminov, director of Russia's Federal Space Agency, as saying.

"It's utopian to think that you can keep a balance of forces with this level of financing," Perminov said.

General Gromov said 58 Russian military satellites are currently in orbit but only cover a third of the Earth's surface, while the United States has a satellite system that allows monitoring all over the world.

"The state of Russia's military space sector is still critical. It is impossible to continue producing old satellite models," Gromov said.

The general called for new generation satellite technology for missile alert, information gathering and navigation.

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El-Op To Supply CNES With Scientific Space Camera

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