The Pentagon is tracking a recent “debris-generating event” in outer space, military officials said, sparking fear of a major missile test in orbit.
U.S. Space Command offered few details on the event, but defense officials have previously warned that Russian anti-satellite weapons testing could create large debris fields and spark chaos in space.
“U.S. Space Command is aware of a debris-generating event in outer space. We are actively working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have the information necessary to maneuver satellites if impacted,” Space Command said in a statement. “We are also in the process of working with [other agencies], including the State Department and NASA, concerning these reports and will provide an update in the near future.”
Citing unnamed U.S. officials, CNN correspondent Jim Sciutto said in a Twitter post Monday morning that the U.S. is “very concerned” about a Russian weapons test conducted over the past several days.
If such a test did indeed take place, the details are unclear. But top Pentagon officials have previously warned Moscow against such actions in space.
Last December, for example, Space Command said that Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile.
That test was conducted in low Earth orbit. But officials seemed to suggest that an actual test in space was likely in the near future.
The DA-ASAT system is “capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit, which they have tested multiple times,” Space Command said of Russian tests in its December 2020 statement. “If this weapon is tested on an actual satellite or used operationally, it will cause a large debris field that could endanger commercial satellites and irrevocably pollute the space domain.”
Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the country’s Roscosmos space agency, reported earlier Monday that the International Space Station had maneuvered away from space debris while in orbit and the crew, which includes both Russian and American astronauts, were safely in “the green zone.”
Roscosmos officials said they had been warned of the potential debris danger from NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston. It was not known if the two incidents are related.