Russia carried out an Anti-Satellite missile test on Monday,
destroying one of its own satellites in orbit.
US Space Command said Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite, or DA-ASAT missile.
The missile struck the satellite, named Cosmos 1408, blowing it to pieces.
James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, said in a statement,
“Russia’s tests of direct-ascent Anti Satellite weapons clearly demonstrate
that Russia continues to pursue counter space weapon systems that undermine strategic stability
and pose a threat to all nations,”
The test created a vast cloud of debris that continues to orbit Earth,
and some of the material loomed dangerously close to the International Space Station.
This forced astronauts to take shelter in a pair
of spacecraft - a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and a Russian
Soyuz capsule — that are capable of returning them to Earth in case of any eventualities.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Russian Anti Satellite weapon is
a major threat for the US? Let's get into the details
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Any Anti Satellite weapon test is dangerous because of fallout from it.
U.S Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in a statement on Monday
described the missile strike as “recklessly conducted.”
“The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris,
and will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris,” he added. The
U.S. Space Command said in a statement that the “debris will remain in orbit
for years and potentially for decades, posing a significant risk to the crew
on the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities.”
NASA and Roscosmos, which jointly manage the space station and are responsible for the
astronauts inside, have cooperated in spite of the military tensions between Washington and Moscow.
But things seem to have deteriorated because of Monday’s weapon test.
Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, said in an interview,
“This is pitiful that the Russians would do this” He said NASA officials have talked to Russia’s
space agency, Roscosmos, about the Anti Satellite test.
Satellites are one of the most important assets for a nation. They play a vital role in civilian
and military communications. Military satellites are used for gathering intelligence as well as
they can monitor and provide early-warning against missile launches by a rival nation.
Military satellites also provide precise guidance to missiles, aircraft, warships to name a few.
So, if satellites of a particular nation are destroyed
it will become handicapped in a conflict.
This is why the anti-satellite weapon is seen as a key military capability by the world.
The U.S was the first to possess this kind of capability.
It carried out its first ASAT test in 1959. The Soviet Union after conducting a series
of 7 tests from 1963-1971 declared its system operational in 1973.
In January 2007, China successfully destroyed a defunct Chinese weather satellite, FY-1C.
As per reports, the mission was executed by an SC-19 ASAT missile with a kinetic kill warhead.
In a national address last year, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India had achieved a "historic
feat" by shooting down its own low-orbit satellite with a ground-launched missile in 3 minutes.
So as of now, there are only 4 countries - the US, Russia, China & India
have demonstrated this kind of capability.
France, Israel , U.K are also thought to possess this capability
Russia has now demonstrated that it has two different types of space weapons:
As reported, the first type of kinetic weapon is a DA-ASAT system capable of
destroying satellites in low Earth orbit, which they have tested multiple times.
If this weapon is tested on an actual satellite or used operationally, it will cause large space
debris that could endanger commercial satellites and pollute the space domain
The second type is a co-orbital ASAT,
a space-based weapon system, which demonstrated an on-orbit kinetic weapon in 2017 and again in 2020.
U.S. Space Command added that in March 2018, President Putin
announced the development of a ground-based laser system for use by the Russian Space Forces,
which the Russian military acknowledged as a “combat laser system.”
As per the U.S military, this pattern of behavior
would be considered potentially threatening in any other domain.
It is clear that the Russian endeavor is a challenge for the
U.S & NATO as lots of the military assets are dependent on satellite communication.
Apart from immediate consequences like resulting in a major mishap
at the International Space Station, there are long-term ramifications.
U.S. military has increased its footprint in space in recent years which includes
the creation of the U.S. Space Force as a separate branch of the armed forces.
If these activities continue unhindered, it will only further intensify competition among
the major space players, potentially leading to the weaponization of space.
The failure of the major space powers to address this in a
proactive manner and agree upon a future path will be detrimental when it comes to having space
as a safe and sustainable domain going forward.