THOUSANDS of pieces of debris were spread into Earth’s orbit after Russia destroyed one of its satellites with a ground-based missile on Monday. The US State Department has identified over 1,500 trackable pieces of debris, said spokesperson Ned Price. There are still thousands of smaller pieces that haven’t been traced. Astronauts living on the International […]
THOUSANDS of pieces of debris were spread into Earth’s orbit after Russia destroyed one of its satellites with a ground-based missile on Monday.
The US State Department has identified over 1,500 trackable pieces of debris, said spokesperson Ned Price. There are still thousands of smaller pieces that haven’t been traced.
Astronauts living on the International Space Station had to shelter in place because of a cloud of debris passing by the station frequently.
It was unknown at first if the debris came from Russia’s anti-satellite test, but the State Department said the debris field was a danger to the space station.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson eventually confirmed that the Russian test did cause the astronauts to shelter in place.
“I’m outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action,” Nelson told The Verge.
“It is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only the American and international partner astronauts on the ISS but also their own cosmonauts,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the test “destructive” and that it “clearly demonstrates that Russia…is willing to jeopardize the long-term sustainability of outer space and imperil the exploration and use of outer space by all nations…”
In a tweet, Blinken added: We condemn Russia’s reckless test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile against its own satellite, creating space debris that risks astronauts’ lives, the integrity of the International Space Station, and the interests of all nations.
In a statement, US Space Command announced that they are currently working to track the debris “and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have the information to maneuver satellites if impacted.”
Last year, the US and UK accused Moscow of launching an anti-satellite missile – the third of its kind in 2020.
British military chiefs have previously warned there could be an attack from space within the next two years – something which has also been dubbed a potential “Pearl Harbor in space” for the US.
Allen Antrobus, a military space expert at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, Herts, told The Sun Online he “absolutely” believed there was an increased threat of an attack in space.
Last month, Vladimir Putin bragged about Russian hypersonic nukes that were capable of wiping out entire US cities.
The Russian leader sparked World War III fears as he revealed his country developed a weapon that flies more than five times faster than those being developed in the US.
Speaking at an energy forum in Moscow, Putin said: “This is not just a hypersonic, this is an intercontinental missile.
“This is a much more serious weapon than you just said. And they are already on alert in Russia.”
However, he insisted nowhere is directly under threat, and similar systems are being developed around the world.
Putin added: “There is nothing unusual here. The high-tech armies of the world will have such systems, they will, and in the near future.
“We do not abuse this, we do not threaten anyone.”
Putin has said he would “simply destroy” any country that encroached on his country’s territory.
His regime has been accused of stoking the unfolding migrant crisis between Belarus and Poland and even sending nuclear bombers into the area.
Europe’s last dictatorship has been accused of “weaponizing” migration against the EU – sparking a tense stand-off along the Belarusian and Polish border with troops on both sides.
US warships and spy planes, including those from the RAF, have been in the Black Sea, skirting close Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 and sees as its territory.
Pro-Kremlin TV stations have been running reports condemning Nato.
Presenter Irada Zeynalova on NTV alleged the West was “exacerbating the situation” with the Black Sea “almost at a boiling point both in the air and the sea”.
“It is already dangerous,” she said.
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