Russia’s antisatellite test added 1,500 pieces of trash to growing cloud of space debris

The most dangerous thing in space right now isn’t aliens or cowboy Bezos—it’s more than 1,500 pieces of trash from a recently obliterated Russian satellite.

News of Russia exploding its own satellite came amid reports that seven crew members on the International Space Station (ISS) had to shelter in space’s version of a lifeboat due to debris heading their way. NASA hasn’t confirmed that the rubble the astronauts dodged was from the satellite, but ummm 👀 .

What happened: In an antisatellite (ASAT) missile test Monday morning, Russia blew up its own satellite, creating a cloud of space debris that careens by the ISS every 90 minutes. The US State Department called Russia’s actions “dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible,” and NASA said the explosion will “significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts” aboard the space station.

Some background: Antisatellite missile tests have been around since the dawn of the space race (the US launched the first one in 1959), but Russia, the US, China, and India have never used them against each other's satellites. Still, these tests are usually considered “political moves” for countries to show that they could mess up your satellite if they wanted to.

In space, blowing things up doesn’t make them go away

There are currently millions of pieces of space debris—many from past missile tests—orbiting Earth at about 22,000 mph, and they pose significant risks for satellites that are critical for American military operations and a number of everyday commercial activities here on Earth, like banking and GPS.

• According to NASA, a 1-centimeter paint fleck in space can do the damage of a 550-pound object traveling 60 mph on Earth.

Bottom line: As an increasing amount of economic activity relies on objects in orbit, space trash is bad for business.—MM