ISS - International Space Station emblem.
Nov. 16, 2021
Russia admitted on Tuesday that it destroyed an old Soviet satellite with a missile. She denounces US "hypocrisy", assuring that the debris poses "no threat" to the ISS.
Image above: The seven astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS had to temporarily take refuge in their ships docked at the station following the Russian missile fire. Image Credit: NASA TV.
Russia admitted on Tuesday to having pulverized one of its satellites in orbit during a test firing, while deeming "hypocritical" statements from Washington, which accuses it of endangering the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).
A shot described as a "jewel"
Moscow fired an old Soviet satellite from Earth on Monday in a test that the United States said generated a potentially dangerous "cloud" of debris for the orbital station and a host of satellites.
The seven astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS had to temporarily take refuge in their ships docked at the station to allow their evacuation if necessary. The incident therefore highlighted the risks of a militarization of space.
After a day of silence, the Russian Defense Ministry finally admitted on Tuesday that it had carried out "successfully" this firing against a Tselina-D-type spacecraft, inactive and in orbit since 1982, without specifying which weapon had been used. employee. Minister Sergei Choïgou even judged that this test had been "a gem".
But the ministry denounced Washington's "hypocritical" accusations of the danger posed by the debris. "The United States knows full well that these fragments (...) will not present any threat," he said in a statement.
The day before, NASA boss Bill Nelson said he was "scandalized" by a "destabilizing" action also posing risks to the Chinese station.
US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said the debris field created by Russian missile fire would threaten space activities "for decades." He also promised that his country would “work” with its allies to respond to “this irresponsible act”.
"Space is a common good (...). Space raiders have an overwhelming responsibility by generating debris that pollutes and puts our astronauts and satellites in danger ", for her part reacted the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly.
Militarization of space
The incident reignited fears that space would turn into a battleground between great powers eager to experiment with new military technologies.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced "an irresponsible act", which further demonstrates that Russia is developing new weapons capable of destroying land-based communication and navigation systems in space, or of missile alert.
Test firing against satellites had so far only been carried out by a handful of nations - the United States, China, India - Moscow has repeatedly claimed to be fighting against any attempt to militarize space.
Right in his boots, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, on Tuesday accused the Americans of ignoring "the proposals of Russia and China, with a view to an international agreement to prevent an weapons race between the country in space.
Sergueï Lavrov. Image Credit: AFP
"In 2020, they created a space command and adopted a strategy one of the goals of which is to establish military domination in the space," he said, accusing the Pentagon of preparing to put systems into orbit anti-missiles.
According to Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer interviewed by AFP, however, Moscow has made no secret of having systems that can reach space from Earth, citing the S-500 and S-550 defense systems in particular.
"Russia has always said that it was against the deployment of weapons in space, but not that it was against the use of weapons in space," said the expert from the newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Thousands of satellites threatened
Monday’s shooting generated a lot of debris threatening the thousands of other satellites in orbit, on which countries rely for many activities, such as communication or tracking.
Destroying satellites of other countries or carrying out offensives from outer space may prove to be a strategic military asset, but the development of such capabilities risks creating an arms race with unforeseeable consequences.
Civilian space is one of the last sectors in which the Americans and Russians, strongly opposed on many international issues, maintain relatively peaceful cooperation.
In recent years, tensions have nevertheless appeared, consequences of geopolitical dynamics on Earth, Moscow and Beijing saying they want to deepen their space collaboration in the face of an axis of Western powers.
Amid these tensions, the Russian space agency said on Tuesday it still cherishes the hope of "joint efforts of all space powers" to "ensure as secure a coexistence as possible" in space.
Editor's Note:
Once again I express all my disapproval of the militarization of space, space must be a place of peace where the best of humanity is expressed, i.e. science, technological advances, exploration, surpassing oneself, new discoveries and a better understanding of our origins. Do not repeat the mistakes and inheritances of the past, put aside what opposes us and seek to develop what unites us. Roland Berga.
Related articles:
Информационное сообщение / Announcement
https://www.roscosmos.ru/33363/
NASA Administrator Statement on Russian ASAT Test
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/11/nasa-administrator-statement-on-russian.html
Space Debris and Human Spacecraft
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/space-debris-and-human-spacecraft.html
India's anti-satellite missile test may have created 6,500 pieces of space junk larger than a pencil eraser, according to a new simulation
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/indias-anti-satellite-missile-test-may.html
China, the celestial rival of the United States
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/01/china-celestial-rival-of-united-states.html
The number of space debris reached a "critical point"
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2011/09/number-of-space-debris-reached-critical.html
Related links:
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space: https://space4peace.org/
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: AFP/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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