Russia confirmed Tuesday that it conducted an anti-satellite missile test, but rejected accusations that it risked endangering astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
On Monday astronauts aboard the ISS were forced to take shelter in a pair of space capsules after a cloud of space debris threatened to pass near the orbiting outpost.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it had “successfully conducted a test” targeting a now-defunct Russian satellite that had been in orbit since 1982.
The United States branded the Russian test “dangerous and irresponsible,” but Moscow dismissed the suggestion.
“The U.S. knows for certain that the resulting fragments, in terms of test time and orbital parameters, did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities,” the ministry said.
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Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also asserted that Washington was guilty of “hypocrisy” with its claim that Russia had posed a risk to peaceful activities in outer space.
At a briefing Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that “the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test” he said had generated more than 1,500 pieces of “trackable orbital debris.”
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical,” he added.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the incident “unconscionable,” adding that the satellite fragments threaten the lives of all astronauts living and working in space, including the seven individuals at the International Space Station and three crew members aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
In a statement late Monday, Nelson said he was outraged by Russia’s actions.
“With its long and storied history in human spaceflight, it is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only the American and international partner astronauts on the ISS, but also their own cosmonauts,” he said.
Denise Chow and Alan Kaytukov contributed.
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