India’s Anti-satellite Missile Creates Threat to ISS, says NASA

According to NASA, India’ anti-satellite missile that destroyed its own satellite posed threat to astronauts aboard international space station (ISS). NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine described India’s anti-satellite missile as ‘not-compatible with future human spaceflight’. 

He further addressed, “It is not acceptable for us to allow people to create orbital debris fields that put at risk our people.” He said the risk for ISS has increased by 45 percent, although, both station and astronauts are safe. However, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described this event as ‘historic feat’ on March 27, 2019.

On March 27, 2019, India shot down its own low-orbit satellite with ground to space missile. India became the only fourth country to achieve that feat after Russia, China, and the US. The debris formed after the strike is mostly made-up of retired satellites, discarded rocket parts, old equipment and can pose a threat to astronauts aboard ISS. Moreover, such debris can create problems for the countless satellite orbiting around the earth. Currently, NASA is tracking 23000 pieces of orbital debris of size 10 centimeters or even bigger making it a third of all debris ever cataloged by NASA.

Previously, it cataloged when China conducted an anti-satellite test in 2007 and when Russian and American communication satellites collided in 2009. India’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs insists that the test was conducted in the lower atmosphere and was completely safe. 

The debris formed after the test would decay or fall back toward the earth within weeks. According to NASA, there are millions of space debris suspended in the space, but of minute sizes making them too hard to track. However, they are traveling at the speed of 17500 mph and even the smallest fragment can cause severe problems.

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