Russian military "will soon be capable of" detecting 3-inch objects in Earth's orbit

MOSCOW – Upon completing its technological upgrade, Russia's space surveillance network will be capable of locating objects as small as 8 centimeters (3 inches) in Earth's orbit, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Nestechuk, the chief of staff of the 15th Russian Aerospace Forces Army, said yesterday.

"When we bring our specialized instruments to the a certain level, to a certain level of combat capabilities, we will be receiving data on space objects which are only 8 centimeters in size," Nestechuk told Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow).

He added that at the moment the 15th Russian Aerospace Forces Army was capable of detecting space objects as small as 20 centimeters and reminded that there were more than 80,000 objects in Earth's orbit that could be classified as space debris.

According to Mr. Nestechuk, Russia has half as many military satellites operating in orbit than civilian ones. "Ninety satellites operate in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry, that is, military devices.

And more than 60 satellites operate within the framework of the implementation of the Federal Space Program and in the interests of other agencies," Nestechuk said on the air of Russian broadcaster.

In September, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said that there were 165 Russian satellites in orbit, a significant part of which served defense purposes.