MOSCOW, Thursday, July 14 - In what appears to be an unusual diplomatic incident, the Soviet government has openly accused western forces in general and NATO in particular of covertly interfering with its space program.
Although Moscow has repeatedly hinted that the US government has tried to catch up for the lost space ground after the Challenger tragedy through various shady means, it is the first time such convictions are being levelled as public accusations.
Today's statements center around last year's failed first launch of the new and massive "Energia" booster, designed to lift the Soviet space shuttle, itself scheduled to make its first flight later this year. The payload of the fated May 15th, 1987 launch was apparently a modified space module similar to the core component of the Mir space staion, though its exact purpose has not yet been identified. Apparently the payload failed to be correctly inserted into orbit after the launch, resulting in its immediate re-entry into the atmosphere and its destruction on the Pacific waters.
The Soviet Politburo first published a series of accusations earlier this morning directed at what it calls "overt and covert actions directed at disrupting the peaceful space program of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics". These statements were echoed later in the day on an unscheduled session of the Supreme Soviet.
The US administration has yet to issue a formal statement on the Soviet accusations, although unofficial remarks by White House sources claim that the Soviet statements are "a sham" and intended more for internal consumption rather than directed towards western media. British PM cicles indicate that a possible powerplay may be afoot inside the Politburo, giving rise to both claims of "external threats" and other rhetorical machinations intended to shift the balances between prominent members.
In any case, and according to NATO officials, the Soviet outburst has not been paired with any unusual military activity on the part of Soviet and/or Warsaw Pact armed forces, who apparently maintain their peacetime posture. The large joint "Peace '88" exercises in Poland and the GDR are scheduled to commence on late August as formerly planned and announced.
-ENDS