Status: November 16, 2021 7:49 p.m.
After the USA, the German government also sharply condemned the Russian satellite launch: It spoke of “irresponsible behavior”. After the missile test, debris had endangered the safety of the ISS crew.
The German government has condemned Russia’s anti-satellite missile test, which resulted in the formation of a large number of space debris, as irresponsible. In a statement by the German Foreign Office, it was said that they were “very concerned” about the Russian test and its consequences, which “will affect the free and unhindered use of space for all countries for years”.
The test would also expose the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to additional risks. The German Matthias Maurer is currently part of the crew. “This irresponsible behavior harbors a high risk of incorrect assessments and escalation,” said the Federal Foreign Office.
The test underlined the increasing risks and threats to security and stability in space and highlighted the “urgency of an agreement by the international community on rules for the peaceful and sustainable use of space,” it said. Germany, together with its partners, is committed to an international exchange within the UN framework that aims to “reduce threats and risks to space systems”. The federal government calls on all states to contribute constructively to this process.
After Russia’s downing of an old satellite: USA sees ISS in danger
Verena Bünten, ARD Washington, daily news 5:00 p.m., November 16, 2021
NATO criticizes test launch
The Russian Defense Ministry had previously confirmed the test launch of a satellite. The Ministry had rejected the US accusation of endangering space travelers. The ISS space station had to be evacuated in the meantime due to debris in space. A statement said that the Russian military had “successfully carried out a test” which resulted in the struck satellite “Zelina-D”. According to this, “Zelina-D” has been in space since 1982. The debris from the destroyed satellite “did not and will not pose a threat to space stations, spacecraft or space activities,” it said.
The US government had previously accused Russia of leaving behind space debris through testing the anti-satellite missile, which endangers the safety of astronauts on the International Space Station. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned “Russia’s ruthless test”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused the government in Moscow of inconsiderate behavior that also endangers the security of the international space station ISS. “That did a lot of damage,” said Stoltenberg in Brussels. “It shows that Russia is developing new weapon systems.”
The European space agency ESA also became clear: “Such tests at high altitudes are very stressful for space travel,” said Holger Krag, head of the ESA space security program, the dpa news agency. They are absolutely counterproductive, ideally you don’t do them at all.
Lavrov calls allegations “hypocrisy”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the accusation that Moscow is endangering the peaceful use of space hypocritical. There is no evidence for this. Instead, Lavrov criticized the Pentagon itself “in the most active way” in promoting an arms race in space, for example by testing offensive weapons.
In a statement by the Russian space agency Roskosmos it said: “Only the joint efforts of all space powers can guarantee a coexistence in space with the highest possible security.” The main priority of Russia is always the safety of the ISS crew. Roscosmos did not directly address the US allegations in the statement.
“Significant risk to space activities”
The US Forces Space Command announced that the test launch has so far produced more than 1,500 traceable debris in low-earth orbit. Presumably, these pieces would ultimately crumble into hundreds of thousands of smaller debris and “remain in orbit for years and possibly decades”. This means “a significant risk for the crew of the International Space Station and other manned space activities as well as for the satellites of several countries”.
The ISS had to be briefly evacuated twice because of a possible collision with space debris. The seven space travelers had twice taken to safety in two spaceships docked at the station, said the cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, as reported by the Russian state news agency Tass.
According to the European Space Agency Esa, the German astronaut Matthias Maurer switched to the “Crew Dragon”. In the event of a collision, the crew could have flown back to Earth so quickly. A short time later the all-clear was given.