Russian anti-satellite weapon may have created debris field in space, US says

The United States is concerned that Russia conducted a major test of anti-satellite weapons last weekend, two US officials told CNN International. One of the officials said it may have created a potentially dangerous debris field in space.

US Space Command confirmed that a rare and potentially dangerous “wreckage event” had occurred, but did not provide details or mention Russia. The two officials said the State Department is preparing to release a statement later today.

One of the officials said a ground missile was launched at an orbiting target, which would be remarkable because only a few successful tests of anti-satellite weapons have been carried out by the US, Russia, China and India.

“We are actively working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure that all nations that make space travel have the information they need to maneuver the satellites if they are impacted,” said a Space Command spokesman. “We are also working with the interagency agency, including the State Department and NASA, on these reports and will provide an update in the near future.”

There are currently seven astronauts on the space station, including NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as newly arrived crew from the Crew 3 mission, NASA astronaut Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer.

This Monday morning (15), Shkaplerov wrote on a social network that it was “all right”. “Friends, everything is normal with us! We continue to work according to the program”, he wrote.

The space station is at risk of impact from objects too small to track as it orbits the Earth 220 nautical miles (about 354 km) away. These tiny objects can be pieces of rock, micrometeorites, dust particles or even paint smudges that chip off the satellites.

Spacial station

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Russia. US officials have publicly raised the alarm about Russian troop build-up near their Ukrainian border, and on Monday, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia said they are considering triggering Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) on the immigrant crisis unfolding on its borders with Belarus.

This Monday (15), the crew aboard the International Space Station had to quickly don their space suits and jump into their spacecraft if the station was hit by any passing debris, according to the Russian space agency, Roscosmos . It remains unclear whether this particular wreckage was generated by the Russian anti-satellite weapons test.

NASA and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment made by CNN International.

Ashley Strickland, CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Jennifer Hansler contributed the story.

(*This text has been translated. Click here to read the original in English)