Russia conducted an antisatellite rocket test Monday that destroyed one of its satellites orbiting. The test produced a large cloud of debris which continues to orbit Earth. Some of the material was dangerously close the International Space Station. Astronauts had to shelter for hours in a pair capable of returning them to Earth.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in a statement on Monday described the missile strike as “recklessly conducted.”
“The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris, and will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris,” he added. The U.S. Space Command said in a statement that the “debris will remain in orbit for years and potentially for decades, posing a significant risk to the crew on the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities.”
“This is pitiful that the Russians would do this,” Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, said in an interview. He said NASA officials have talked to Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, about the antisatellite test. Mr. Nelson said the NASA official who oversees the space station, Joel Montalbano, as well as NASA’s third highest-ranking official, Bob Cabana, are in Moscow and plan to discuss the test with their Russian counterparts tomorrow.
Mr. Nelson also noted that the incident threatened the three astronauts now aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
Russian military officials didn’t respond to requests for comment on the weapon test. However, it happened at a time of increased military tensions between Russia & the United States. Last Wednesday, the State Department reported that Russia was building troops at its border with Ukraine. Mr. Blinken said that aggressive actions on the border “would be of great concern to the United States.”
Roscosmos (NASA) and Roscosmos (which jointly manage the space station and provide protection for the astronauts inside), have been mostly shielded from the military tensions that exist between Washington and Moscow. But those two geopolitical spheres clashed after Monday’s weapon test.
Mr. Nelson said he had “reason to believe” that Roscosmos officials were not aware that Russia’s Ministry of Defense had been planning to launch an antisatellite missile.
“And had any of those known about it, they should’ve been raising Cain, because of the threats to the astronauts and cosmonauts on the space station,” he said.
Russian authorities issued airspace notices Monday warning planes to avoid Plesetsk, a launch site located approximately 650 miles north-east of Moscow. This is the same spot where an antisatellite Russian missile launched in December 2020. However, it did not hit any targets. Monday’s notifications indicated that a launch was planned for Monday morning. This was around the same time an old Russian surveillance satellite was set to pass the area.
The missile hit the satellite Cosmos 1408, causing it damage.
NASA astronauts aboard the space station were also abruptly awakened at the same moment by a Houston mission control official who instructed them to seek shelter in their spacecraft.
“Hey Mark, good morning, sorry for the early call,” said a NASA official in Houston, speaking to Mark Vande Hei, one of four NASA astronauts currently on the space station. “We were recently informed of a satellite breakup and need to have you guys start reviewing the safe haven procedure.”
During Monday’s event, astronauts closed various hatches between compartments on the station and boarded spacecraft docked with the orbital outpost that could return them to Earth in the event of an accident. There are currently two spacecraft — a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and a Russian Soyuz capsule — capable of entering Earth’s atmosphere and carrying crews to the surface.
Raja Chari was the commander of the NASA mission that brought four astronauts into the space station last week. He boarded the Crew Dragon spacecraft to power it on if it needed to undock.
The astronauts were in the capsules for approximately two hours, starting at 2 a.m. and ending at 4 a.m. Soon after the reports of the test emerged, Roscosmos said the space station was “in the green zone” and safe from what it described as “the object.” A spokesman for the agency declined to elaborate and deferred to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
Antisatellite testing can produce debris that can stay in space for many decades. Russia’s strike on Monday created the largest new field of space junk since 2007, when China launched a missile at one of its old weather satellites. This weapon test produced a swarm consisting of around 2,300 pieces.
In 2008, the United States conducted its weapon test. It created an orbital cloud that contained approximately 400 pieces. The 2019 Indian weapon test left approximately the same amount of debris than the 2008 American one.
Jim Bridenstine (the NASA administrator at the time), stated that the Indian test was putting the space station at serious risk. And just last week, NASA and Russian officials were forced to move the International Space Station’s position in orbit to dodge a piece of debris from the 2007 Chinese test.
Space debris is not limited to weapons tests. Aging satellites that are not properly removed from orbit have added to the world’s space junk ills. Experts are also concerned by the risks posed to Earth by private companies that plan to launch thousands if satellites to beam high-speed internet service to Earth.
As competition for low-Earth orbit increases between Washington, Russia, and China, U.S. military officers have increased their presence in space in recent decades. This includes the creation of the U.S. Space Force, a separate branch within the armed forces. The Pentagon has been critical of Russia’s space activities for years. This includes moving satellites too close U.S. spy space satellites and launching small, maneuverable spacecraft with no warning.
“Russia’s tests of direct-ascent antisatellite weapons clearly demonstrate that Russia continues to pursue counterspace weapon systems that undermine strategic stability and pose a threat to all nations,” James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, said in a statement.
Some of the astronauts aboard the space station seemed to take the day’s events in stride. Mr. Vande Hei, who has been in orbit since April, thanked NASA’s mission control in Houston “for a crazy but well-coordinated day” after the crews left their lifeboats.
“It was certainly a great way to bond with the crew,” he said.
Reporting from Washington was contributed by Michael Crowley. Andrew Kramer, Alina Lozina, and Oleg Matsnev also contributed reporting from Moscow.
Source: NY Times
