On November 15, 2021, US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln issued a statement saying that Russia conducted a missile test that destroyed its satellite, resulting in mass space debris. As a result of this experiment, astronauts already staying on the International Space Station are being forced to evacuate temporarily.
On November 15, space debris approached the International Space Station and the seven astronauts who were staying there were evacuated to Soyuz and Crew Dragon. Space debris approached the ISS every 90 minutes from dawn to around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, and ground control officials said the ISS hatch had to be closed just in case. The astronaut later said in a final communication from the control office that he was expecting a mild day tomorrow.
It is said that this space fragment is most likely due to a satellite attack weapon test conducted by the Russian military on the 15th. It is said that Russia is highly likely to have shot down the satellite Cosmos 1408 by firing an A-235 PL-19 Nudol from the Presetsk space base from 2-5 on the 15th.
Cosmos 1408 is a large satellite weighing 2,000 kg, launched in 1982. The orbit of the Cosmos 1408 satellite is 450 km from the ground and is slightly higher than the ISS.
The Russian state-owned company, Los Cosmos, said on Twitter that the orbit is far from the ISS orbit, and that the ISS is a green zone. Secretary of State Blincoln reports that tests conducted by Russia have produced more than 1,500 orbits of trackable space debris, and possibly hundreds of thousands of smaller fragments. Long-lived fragments created by Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible experiments will threaten all national security, economic and scientific interests, including satellites, and significantly increase the risk of astronauts to the ISS and other manned spaceflight activities in the coming decades. pointed out It has been strongly criticized for saying that the safety and security of all parties seeking to explore and use outer space for peace purposes have been inadvertently compromised by the Russian experiment.
Nelson, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), like Secretary Blincoln, is also resentful at Russia’s irresponsible and destabilizing actions. It expressed deep regret, saying that the possible actions are reckless and dangerous, and that the Chinese space station and its astronauts are also at risk. Related information can be found here.