NASA Calls Russia ‘Irresponsible’ for Blowing up One of Its Satellites Near International Space Station With Missile

Astronauts had to take refuge on board their transport vessel when the International Space Station (ISS) flew dangerously near a field of orbital debris. This was after Russia launched a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile into space on Monday. The rocket blew up one of its own spacecraft and spread thousands of bits of debris into orbit.

As the orbiting lab sailed through a field of orbital debris, or space trash, early Monday morning, flight controllers awoke the seven-person crew of the ISS. They told them to go back to their spacecraft.

According to the US State Department (via Engadget), Russia's anti-satellite missile test produced more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris, as well as hundreds of thousands of smaller bits.

US Space Command began tracking the space trash in the early hours of the morning, the Associated Press said. The station passed through the debris field every 90 minutes, causing the crew to seal and reopen numerous compartments several times during the day.

The four American astronauts, one German astronaut, and two Russian astronauts onboard the International Space Station must remain vigilant for the next few days.

US Has Been Monitoring Russian ASAT Tests

Over the previous few years, US Space Command has been monitoring Russian ASAT testing. Two tests of Russia's Nudol ASAT technology were announced by the US Space Command in 2020. Both experiments, however, did not appear to destroy any space targets.

In a statement to The Verge, US Space Command said it was "aware of a debris-generating event" in space that morning.

According to the United States Space Command, they are actively trying to describe the debris field and will continue to guarantee that all space-faring nations have the information they need to move satellites if they are hit. They're also working with the interagency on these reports, which includes the State Department and NASA, and will offer an update soon.

On Twitter, private space tracking business LeoLabs verified that it had seen many objects in the vicinity of an aging Russian satellite known as Kosmos 1408, which has now been confirmed as the target of the ASAT test.

NASA Administrator Enraged By Russia's Recent Move

On Monday (November 15), NASA Administrator Bill Nelson blasted a Russian anti-satellite test that put the International Space Station in danger of colliding with the debris.

"Earlier today, due to the debris generated by the destructive Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) test, ISS astronauts and cosmonauts undertook emergency procedures for safety," Nelson said in a NASA statement.

"I'm outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action," he added per Space.com. "With its long and storied history in human spaceflight, it is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only the American and international partner astronauts on the ISS, but also their own cosmonauts."

According to Nelson, the acts are rash and risky. The actions, he added, could likewise endanger the Chinese space station and the taikonauts on board.

Russia's dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price (via CNBC Space Reporter Michael Sheetz on Twitter), and clearly demonstrates that Russia's (claims) to oppose the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.

Space Junk A Growing Concern

Satellites and human spaceflight are both threatened by space debris, which is a big hazard. Even the tiniest particles of debris orbiting the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour could pierce a gasoline tank or destroy a battery, and there are around 23,000 pieces larger than a softball, half a million pieces the size of a marble or larger, and about 100 million pieces.04 inches and larger.

The Cosmos 1408 satellite, which the Soviet Union sent into space in 1982, was damaged by a Russian ground-based missile on Monday (Moscow time). The debris might linger in orbit for years, if not decades, according to the US Space Command.

Secure World Foundation program planning head Brian Weeden told Houston Chronicle that the satellite was between 290 and 300 miles in altitude. The International Space Station is now around 260 miles above the Earth's surface.

Russia's ground-based anti-satellite missile has been tested many times since 2014. Previous ground-based experiments, according to Weeden, did not produce debris since they did not impact satellites.

Previous Criticisms Hit Or Miss

In the past, condemnation was hit or miss. The United States got angry when China destroyed its 2007 Fengyun-1C meteorological satellite.

The United States launched its own space rocket the next year. It justified the destruction of a US National Reconnaissance Office satellite that was falling out of orbit with around 1,000 pounds of highly hazardous hydrazine fuel onboard due to safety concerns.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine criticized India's destruction of one of its satellites in 2019. Still, the White House later reversed its position, according to Weeden.

At an altitude of roughly 149 miles, the American satellite was destroyed, while the Indian satellite was destroyed at an altitude of around 186 miles. Both of these experiments, according to Weeden, left debris in orbit.

However, China's test destroyed a satellite at a height of 535 miles, resulting in almost 3,500 pieces of debris. Jonathan McDowell of the Center for Astrophysics tweeted that 2,737 fragments were still in orbit on Tuesday of last week.

Last week, officials were considering adjusting the orbit of the space station due to debris. Although the space station did not need to be relocated away from the Chinese debris, authorities went ahead and did so. It took the place of a planned "reboost" to maintain the space station's appropriate height.

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