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 debris that immediately endangered astronauts on the International Space Station and will pose long-term risks to all low-Earth orbit activities.
The test drew widespread international condemnation from the U.S. and NASA, who deemed it a reckless and destabilizing act that highlights the urgent need for new policies and norms regarding responsible behavior in space.
This ASAT test is viewed as a militarization of space, signaling Russia's capabilities and potentially serving geopolitical aims, but it risks escalating international tensions and prompting other nations to develop their own anti-satellite weapons.

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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.