Russia’s Satellite Blast Should Be the Last
Thousands of pieces of debris now threaten spaceflight, commercial satellites — and the global economy.
In harm’s way.
Photographer: NASA/Getty Images North AmericaA bigger mess has rarely been seen in Earth’s orbit. On Monday, Russia blasted a direct-ascent missile into one of its own moribund spy satellites, thereby creating about 1,500 trackable pieces of debris and tens of thousands of smaller ones. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it “dangerous and irresponsible.” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called it “outrageous,” “unconscionable” and “pitiful.” They weren’t exaggerating by much.
Undoubtedly, the launch will escalate military tensions and worsen the proliferation of space junk in sensitive orbits. It will endanger satellites and space missions for years to come, and could necessitate costly maneuvers to avoid collisions. It briefly put the occupants of the International Space Station — two of whom are Russian cosmonauts — in such danger that they were forced to seek shelter in their capsules. Rather than apologize, Russian officials have boldly insisted that the operation was as safe as could be.