US says Russia blew up a satellite, forcing astronauts to take shelter in place on the International Space Station

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The US State Department said debris was scattered into space after a Russian satellite was blown up in a test.

The accident appears to have been a test of an anti-satellite weapon, or ASAT, that destroyed an old and unusable Soviet satellite.

A test spokesperson said the test resulted in hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris now stuck in orbit and “threatening the interests of all nations”.

This includes astronauts on the International Space Station who were forced earlier today to take shelter in place aboard their spacecraft, as part of emergency measures to avoid a dangerous cloud of debris. Officials have not yet confirmed that the two sets of debris are definitely the same.

“This test will significantly increase the risks to astronauts and astronauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities,” a State Department spokesperson told a news briefing.

“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior threatens the long-term sustainability of our space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims to oppose the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.”

Although the State Department said it would not share “the specific actions” it would take in response, it said it would work with allies “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate this type of irresponsible behavior.”

The United States and Russia jointly operate the International Space Station. Crews from NASA and the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) took part in emergency “safe haven” measures that had them retreat to the spacecraft when a cloud of debris passed near the space station.

There are now at least 1,500 traceable pieces of debris from the explosion, and many smaller pieces are floating in orbit.

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