Half of Indian Anti-Satellite Test Debris Still Orbiting in Space - Harvard Astronomer

India's anti-satellite missile was a three-stage rocket, which successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite on 27 March. The Indian defence ministry claims that the test was conducted to intercept the missile in a manner that minimised the threat of space debris.

Three months after India conducted an anti-satellite test in which it "shot down" a low-orbiting satellite, the 41 pieces of debris generated in the process remain in orbit. This accounts for about 50% of all fragments of debris that were created in the 'Mission Shakti' missile test, says Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

This is in complete contrast to the claim made by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which said the test was planned in a manner to ensure that all debris would fully disintegrate within 45 days.

McDowell estimates that the debris will take "at least a year or so" to fully deteriorate. Another satellite tracker Marco Langbroek claimed that "many of these objects still on-orbit have apogees still well into the range of operational satellites, i.e. they remain a threat to other objects in space".

In his analysis published on 18 June, Langbroek warned that these remaining objects, "at least 5 objects will stay in orbit for at least a year to come, and the last one might not reenter until mid-2021".

Earlier in April, US space agency NASA called the destruction of Microsat-R satellite a "terrible, terrible thing" that poses a threat to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The Russian defence ministry raised similar concerns just after the test, and said that the over 100 fragments that were formed in the altitude range from 100 to 1,000 kilometres have been orbiting very close to the ISS, "which may create threats in the near future".

The US has criticised India over its anti-satellite missile test, calling it unacceptable and incompatible with the future of human space flight.

On 27 March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced New Delhi had successfully tested its first anti-satellite missile by hitting a defunct Indian satellite at an altitude of 300 km. Modi added that India had become the fourth country in the world to possess such a weapon after China, Russia, and the United States.

Source: RIA Novosti


Related Links
 Military Space News
 Space Technology News - Applications and Research


Thanks for being here;
 We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal
 SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly paypal only


TECH SPACE
Melting a satellite, a piece at a time
 Paris (ESA) Jun 18, 2019
 Researchers took one of the densest parts of an Earth-orbiting satellite, placed it in a plasma wind tunnel then proceeded to melt it into vapour. Their goal was to better understand how satellites burn up during reentry, to minimise the risk of endangering anyone on the ground. Taking place as part of ESA's Clean Space initiative, the fiery testing occurred inside a plasma wind tunnel, reproducing reentry conditions, at the DLR German Aerospace Center's site in Cologne. The test subject was ... read more

Let's block ads! (Why?)



from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense https://ift.tt/3208V9K
via space News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Oryx Handbook of Iranian Drones

Image
The goal of this list is to comprehensively catalogue Iran's past and current inventory of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their armament. In an effort to streamline the list and avoid unnecessary confusion, this list only includes military drones associated with Iran's defence industry or military-grade UAVs with at least some chance of entering service. Notes:  - If several configurations of a drone with one designation are known, they are added as such.  - The part within the apostrophes refers to other designations or an unofficial designation. -  UAVs that did not enter service or have yet to enter service have been placed in the prototype category. - When a type is dual-capable, it is added in both respective categories. - Dubious claims are referred to as ''claimed to be capable''. - Although several types of Iranian UAVs have been sighted in Syria and Iraq, the foreign service section of this handbook only includes those confirmed to be in s
Read more

This Equation Shows You Can't Quantify Everything

Image
Yeah, I used a clickbaity headline. So sue me. Recently I went on an extensive rant about the fundamental assumptions of science. One of them, I said, was that things have to be measurable. And that's basically true, I think... but there are interesting subtleties. You might well be familiar with the weirdness of the quantum realms, as in the double-slit experiment where "particles" can apparently be in two places at once. What you might be less aware of is that much, much larger things can be just as hard to measure. You really don't need carefully controlled laboratory conditions to see how bizarre reality can get. Measuring some things is hard... In astronomy, if you're hunting for galaxies in a new data set, you have to try and estimate these things called completeness and reliability . They're quite simple concepts but they have very strict meanings - thankfully, for once, quite intuitive ones. Consider a naturalist trying to identify some meerk
Read more

Andrew Wyeth: Home Places

Image
  THE BRANDYWINE   FEBRUARY 4–JULY 13, 2023 Andrew Wyeth, Swifts – First Version, 1991, watercolor on paper. Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art B3122r © Andrew Wyeth/Artists Rights Society (ARS)  Opening at the Brandywine Museum of Art on February 4, 2023,  Andrew Wyeth: Home Places  presents nearly 50 paintings and drawings of local buildings that inspired Wyeth time and again over seven decades of his career. The artworks in this exhibition are drawn exclusively from the nearly 7,000-object Andrew and Betsy Wyeth Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, now managed by the Brandywine. Many of these pieces have never before been exhibited, offering a first glimpse at a significant treasure trove that will shed new light on the collaborative creative process of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth. Andrew Wyeth, Widow’s Walk Study, 1990, watercolor and pencil on paper. Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art B3144 © Andrew Wyeth/Artists Rights Socie
Read more