Russian ASAT Provokes Questions, Calls For Action

The anti-satellite test created at least 1,500 pieces of trackable debris and underscores the need for new policies, observers say.

The Soyuz MS-18 crew ship, carrying Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participants Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko, is pictured departing the vicinity of the International Space Station as both spacecraft were orbiting 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of far eastern Russia. Courtesy: NASA

Key Takeaways:

Russia's recent anti-satellite (ASAT) test destroyed its own satellite, creating thousands of pieces of orbital debris and forcing astronauts on the International Space Station to shelter due to potential peril.
The test has been widely condemned as "reckless and irresponsible," as the resulting debris poses a significant and long-term threat to all space activities in low-Earth orbit for years or even decades.
The incident underscores the urgent need for new international policies and norms for responsible behavior in space, as current treaties do not prohibit such tests, and is expected to provoke other nations to enhance their military capabilities in space.

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A recent Russian anti-satellite test that sent thousands of pieces of debris into orbit and put astronauts in the International Space Station in potential peril underscores the need for new policies and will likely provoke other countries to ratchet up military capabilities in space, according to observers.

How This Started

On November 15, Russia destroyed its own satellite, Cosmos 1408, a non-operational Soviet Electronic and Signals Intelligence Tselina-D satellite designed to determine precise location and activity of radio emitters, according to NASA.