[BRIEF] Following reports by US and Russian media outlets that a Russian reconnaissance satellite may have exploded over the skies of Colorado and Wyoming September 2, Russia’s defense ministry Tuesday denied that the satellite or part thereof had re-entered the atmosphere in US airspace.
The reports cited the American Meteor Society and said that at least 30 eyewitnesses in the two states observed a fireball in the sky that was suspected to be the satellite.
Eyewitnesses in Wyoming and Colorado reported observing a blast in the air Sept. 2, which was thought to have been Russia’s Kosmos-2495 imaging reconnaissance satellite. The eyewitnesses observed a fireball at around 10:30 p.m. local time.
Tuesday, a spokesperson for Russia’s defense ministry, Igor Konashenkov, denied the claims, stating that “the Russian satellite group functions normally and is being constantly monitored by Russian Aerospace Defense Forces.”
Konashenkov also said that “most likely, the true motive” behind the reports was an attempt by US intelligence agencies to spot the location of the Russian satellite again after they had lost track of it.
Russia also claimed to have a video that a video showed the satellite re-entering the atmosphere over Kazakhstan.