The U.S. has slammed Russia for conducting a "dangerous" anti-satellite missile test, which it claimed endangered the lives of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. U.S. officials called the test "irresponsible" and "reckless."
During the test, Russia blew up one of its own satellites. The explosion created debris that orbited the planet, forcing the crew of the ISS to shelter inside reinforced capsules. The crew of the ISS included four Americans, two Russians, and one German astronaut.
During a briefing, Monday, U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that Russia had destroyed one of its satellites with a new anti-satellite missile.
Price said the satellite that was destroyed created over 1,500 pieces of debris that they are able to track and hundreds of thousands of smaller pieces that they aren't able to track. Price said the debris now orbiting the planet is putting other satellites in danger of being damaged or destroyed.
"The debris resulting from this test will remain in orbit, putting satellites and human spaceflight at risk for years to come," Price said.
The debris field created by a high-velocity impact is hard to control and predict as hundreds of thousands of pieces are created. Some will be sent downwards and out of harm's way, but many more will be propelled to higher altitudes, where they could hit operational missions for years to come, including those of the nation-state that conducted the test.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson also expressed his outrage at the missile test. Nelson said Russia endangered not only the lives of American and international astronauts but also their own cosmonauts. Fortunately, he added that the debris from the destroyed satellite has now moved away from the ISS and all of the station's crew is safe.
NASA said most of the large debris had passed the ISS without incident. They traced the origins of the debris to the broken-up Russian satellite, Kosmos-1408. The decommissioned spy satellite, which was originally launched in 1982, weighed over a ton.
LeoLabs, a business that tracks space debris, claimed its radar equipment in New Zealand had picked up debris where the long-defunct spacecraft should have been.
The United States, Russia, China, and India are among the only countries that can destroy satellites from the ground. Such missile testing is uncommon, but it is met with global disapproval since it pollutes the space environment for everyone when it does happen.
China generated about 2,000 pieces of trackable debris when it destroyed one of its defunct meteorological satellites in 2007. This material presented a constant threat to operating space missions, including China's own assets in orbit.
