WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2021) The satellite struck struck in the Russian anti-satellite missile test was the Soviet-era Cosmos 1408, the US Space Command said in a statement.
"Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile on Nov. 15, 2021, Moscow Standard Time, that struck a Russian satellite (COSMOS 1408) and created a debris field in low-Earth orbit. The test so far has generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris," the statement said on Monday.
Debris generated by the impact will remain in orbit for years and potentially for decades, posing a significant risk to the International Space Station (ISS) and other satellite and spaceflight activity, the statement said.
The debris threat prompted US mission control for the ISS to order astronauts aboard the station to keep its hatches closed until Tuesday as a precautionary measure.
Russia's test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon demonstrates that they continue to pursue counter space systems that undermine strategic stability, US Space Command chief Gen. James Dickinson said in the statement.
