US hypocritical for condemning anti-satellite ASAT weapon take a look at

The Russian navy has destroyed a defunct satellite tv for pc, showering low Earth orbit with shrapnel and inflicting astronauts to shelter on the Worldwide House Station because the particles cloud handed by.

U.S. officers from the Pentagon, State Division and NASA condemned Russia’s anti-satellite weapon (or ASAT) take a look at Monday as “reckless” and “harmful,” whereas U.S. House Command confirmed the take a look at created greater than 1,500 items of particles. The take a look at destroyed the defunct, Soviet-era Kosmos 1408 spy satellite tv for pc.

“Russia has demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the safety, security, stability, and long-term sustainability of the house area for all nations,” U.S. House Command Commander James Dickinson mentioned in a press release.

However the Russian navy referred to as the U.S. response “hypocritical,” saying in a press release translated by NBC that “america is aware of for sure that the ensuing fragments” from the ASAT take a look at “didn’t and won’t pose a menace to orbital stations, spacecraft and house actions.”

Each the U.S. and Russia, in addition to India and China, have beforehand destroyed their very own satellites in ASAT assessments. The U.S. most not too long ago performed an ASAT take a look at in 2008, whereas Russia on Tuesday referred to as out the Air Power’s testing of the X-37 spacecraft as displaying the Pentagon “is actively creating” house weapons.

Trade consultants imagine the particles discipline created by Russia’s newest ASAT take a look at will keep in orbit for years, making a menace to different spacecraft. Earth imagery firm Planet, which has greater than 140 small satellites in low Earth orbit, emphasised that Russia’s ASAT take a look at makes it the fourth nation “to explode its personal satellite tv for pc from a missile up to now 15 years.”

NASA confirmed that the Worldwide House Station went into emergency procedures on Monday, closing its hatches whereas the crew sheltered. The station is “passing by way of or close to” the particles discipline each 90 minutes, the company mentioned.

“It’s unthinkable that Russia would endanger not solely the American and worldwide associate astronauts on the ISS, but in addition their very own cosmonauts,” NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson mentioned in a press release.