Search

Russian Direct Ascent ASAT Test Generates More Than 1,500 Pieces of Trackable Debris

Russian Direct Ascent ASAT Test Generates More Than 1,500 Pieces of Trackable Debris
U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander, and U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi, USSPACECOM Strategy, Plans and Policy director, greet Colin Kahl, Department of Defense Under Secretary of Defense for Policy on Nov. 2 at USSPACECOM headquarters, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Senior USSPACECOM leaders briefed Kahl on threats to the space domain and discussed the importance of responsible military space behavior. Officials from Joint Task Force-Space Defense briefed Kahl on its protect-and-defend mission (U.S. Space Command Photo)

The test of a Russian direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) weapon against one of that nation's non-functioning satellites generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable debris and hundreds of thousands of smaller pieces, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Nov. 15. If true, the ASAT test would have thrown off roughly half the debris of a 2007 Chinese DA-ASAT test that created 3,000 pieces of orbital debris larger than 10 centimeters (Defense Daily, Nov. 17, 2020). Army Gen. James…

Subscriber-only content. Please log in below.

Not a subscriber or registered user yet?

Please contact us at clientservices@accessintel.com or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.

Congress Updates

U.S. Fighter Fleet Will Expand By 2040 But More Stealth Aircraft Will Mean Less Availability, CBO Says

The number of fighter aircraft in the U.S. military inventory will decline over the next few years before expanding to a greater number than currently, but their availability for operational […]


White House Details ‘Concerns’ With Shipbuilding, Spaced-Based Interceptor Oversight In House’s NDAA

The White House has detailed “a number of concerns” with the newly-passed House version of the next defense policy bill, to include the legislation’s limits on procuring Navy ships built […]


House Narrowly Votes To Pass $1.15 Trillion FY ‘27 NDAA, Blueprint For Reconciliation 3.0

The House on Wednesday narrowly voted to pass its $1.15 trillion version of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a blueprint for a third reconciliation bill […]


Senate Appropriators Press On Supplemental’s Requests Beyond Iran Scope, Hegseth Urges Full Funding

Senate appropriators have pressed Pentagon leadership on the decision to include funds in the Iran war supplemental request for items beyond the current military operation, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth […]