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News > World

Russia Did Not Endanger Space Station With Missile Test: Lavrov

  • International Space Station, 2021.

    International Space Station, 2021. | Photo: Twitter/ @SpaceflightNow

Published 16 November 2021
Opinion

The U.S. accused Russia of having acted in a "dangerous and irresponsible" manner by testing an anti-satellite missile, which generated space debris and put international astronauts at "risk".

On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected accusations that his country endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by creating over 1,500 pieces of space junk after conducting military tests with an anti-satellite missile.

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The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the destruction of a satellite launched in 1982 and emphasized that “the U.S. knows for certain that the resulting fragments, in terms of test time and orbital parameters, did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft, and space activities,” as reported by NBC News.

On Monday, however, the U.S. State Department accused Russia of having acted in a "dangerous and irresponsible" manner by testing an anti-satellite missile, which generated space debris and put the ISS astronauts at "risk".

While Washington requires Moscow to draw up universal standards for exploring outer space, "it has been blocking an initiative by Russia and China to prevent an arms race in space," Lavrov recalled, pointing out that the U.S. continues to promote an arms race "in the most active way" since it adopted a space strategy in 2020 that seeks to guarantee its military leadership in the cosmos.

"To fulfill that strategy, the Pentagon rehearses in orbit, without warning anyone, different means of attack," Lavrov said and called on the United States to "come to the table" of negotiations to address mutual concerns.

Previously, the Russian diplomat assured that his country's main priority is to guarantee the safety of the ISS crew and monitor the situation to prevent and counteract all possible threats to the security of the station.

Currently, the International Space Station houses U.S. astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Kayla Barron; Russian astronauts Anton Shkaplerov and Piotr Dubrov, and the European astronaut Matthias Maurer.

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