The test of the anti-satellite system with the defeat of the inoperative Russian spacecraft “Celina-D” took place in accordance with international law and was not directed against anyone, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova.
“This event was carried out in strict accordance with international law, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, and was not directed against anyone. Taking into account the time of the test and the parameters of the orbit, the fragments formed during it did not pose a threat and do not create interference or difficulties for the functioning of orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities, ”Zakharova noted in a comment posted on the website of the Foreign Ministry.
The resulting fragments of space debris are included in the main catalog of the Russian space control system, she stressed.
Earlier, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that on November 15, Russia tested an anti-satellite missile, which destroyed one of its space satellites. On the same day, the ISS approached space debris several times, the Mission Control Center in Houston reported. Later, the fact of testing was confirmed by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu. The rocket was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on November 15, the target of the tests was the Soviet reconnaissance satellite “Celina-D”, which had not functioned for several decades.
On November 16, the Russian Defense Ministry ruled out the possibility of a threat to the International Space Station as a result of tests of Russian anti-satellite weapons.
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