Russian ASAT Test Highlights Urgent Need for Space Governance Negotiations

Russia has joined the anti-satellite test frenzy, conducting a successful test on November 15. The United States Space Command issued a statement confirming that Russia conducted the successful test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile against the defunct Cosmos 1408 satellite, resulting in the creation of a debris field in low Earth orbit. An initial assessment suggested that the test created more than 1,500 pieces of trackable space debris, in addition to the possibilities of “hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris.” Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were instructed to seek shelter, amid concerns that the debris posed a threat to the station. U.S. Space Command Commander Gen. James Dickinson commented, “The debris created by Russia’s DA-ASAT will continue to pose a threat to activities in outer space for years to come, putting satellites and space missions at risk, as well as forcing more collision avoidance maneuvers. Space activities underpin our way of life and this kind of behavior is simply irresponsible.”