The action resulted in more than 1,500 relatively large debris, which shortly afterwards posed a real threat to the International Space Station, which is currently manned by seven astronauts (including some Russians).

“I am outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in a brief statement. “With their long history in human spaceflight, it is inconceivable that Russia would endanger not only US and international partner astronauts, but also their own cosmonauts.” And yet that happened yesterday.

Anti-satellite weapon

The Russians tested a so-called anti-satellite weapon yesterday. It is a rocket specially designed to disable satellites in orbit around the earth. To test the weapon, the Russians fired the missile at one of their own satellites. At first glance, that may seem rather harmless, as they destroy their own stuff. But the action also has major consequences for other countries. According to the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, more than 1500 traceable (and therefore relatively large) fragments were created during the test. Equally worrisome, however, are the potentially hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris that are much smaller and untraceable, but can still wreak havoc in orbit. “The debris created during this dangerous and irresponsible test continues to threaten satellites and other space objects vital to the security, economic and scientific interests of all nations for decades to come,” said Blinken. “In addition, it poses a significant risk to astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station.”

Astronauts take cover

The latter became clear shortly after the Russian action. The International Space Station — orbiting Earth at high speed — moves every 90 minutes through or close to the debris created by the rocket test. And yesterday, the debris posed such a threat that astronauts were ordered to take cover in a spacecraft docked to the space station so they could flee if necessary. It all went off without a hitch. But that doesn’t mean the danger has passed, Nelson’s words show. “NASA will continue to monitor the debris for the next few days and beyond to ensure the safety of our crew in orbit.”

Ten people in orbit around the earth
There are currently seven astronauts on the International Space Station: four Americans, two Russians and a German. They are not the only ones currently in orbit. There is also a Chinese space station orbiting our planet that currently houses three taikonauts. The debris from the Russian satellite could also pose a threat to this space station.

The Russians are not the first to flex their muscles with an anti-satellite test. Earlier, India, China and the United States also fired rockets at their own (test) satellites. The anti-satellite weapons are politically very sensitive. Not only because they can generate quite a bit of (potentially dangerous) space debris, but also because the weapons could be used during conflicts to destroy other people’s (military) satellites.