Russian Defense Ministry Denies Reports that Its Satellite Exploded Above US
18:02 09/09/2014
Updated 6:43 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday denied media reports of a Russian military satellite that allegedly exploded above the United States.
Earlier in the day, the American Meteor Society published more than 30 reports from alleged eyewitnesses, who claimed they observed a blast of Russia's Kosmos-2495 imaging reconnaissance satellite.
"The Russian satellite group functions normally and is being constantly monitored by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces," ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
Kosmos-2495 was launched on May 6, 2014. It is also known as Kobalt-M reconnaissance satellite, an operational member of the Yantar series of Russian satellites. It weighs 6.6 tonnes, operates on Low Earth Orbit and is equipped with a film camera.
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