The defunct satellite broke apart into more than 100 pieces, raising speculation that it may be the result of an anti-satellite missile test.
Fragments from a defunct Russian satellite have formed a large cloud of debris in low Earth orbit, posing a potential threat to the International Space Station and with the crew having to take shelter while mission control checked for the chances of collision. On Wednesday, space-tracking firm LeoLabs detected a debris cloud forming after a non-operational satellite broke apart in low Earth orbit. The Russian-owned decommissioned satellite, called RESURS-P1, broke apart around 12 p.m.
wrote on X. Related article: ’s ISS Spacesuit Situation Turns Grim “Mission Control continued to monitor the path of the debris, and after about an hour, the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations,” the space agency added. The U.S. Space Command also confirmed that it “observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.
condemned Russia’s ASAT missile test, calling it “reckless and dangerous,” and the United Nations adopted a resolution against tests of anti-satellite missile systems, with Russia and China voting against it. The most recent breakup of the defunct Russian satellite raises suspicion that this may have been the result of yet another anti-missile test.
Disaster Accident Environment Space Debris Marco Langbroek NASA Jonathan Mcdowell International Space Station Satellite Collision Pollution Spaceflight Space Program Of Russia Anti-Satellite Weapon Gizmodo
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