Scientists recently said the anti-satellite weapon test Russia recently carried out would increase the risk to humans after the missile trial exploded an orbiting satellite into numerous pieces.

A VOA Learning English report said American and European officials criticized the country's initiative as, according to science experts, it will increase dangers in space "for years to come."

The questions of what is this debris, also known as "space junk," and what safety threats it is presenting now arise.

Natural History Museum describes Space junk as any object humans have placed in space although not used anymore. The so-called junk is floating around hundreds of kilometers on top of Earth.

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Science Times - Russia Tries Anti-Satellite Weapon; How Dangerous is This Missile Trial for Humans in Space?
(Photo: Miguel Soares on Wikimedia Commons)
Space junk, as any object humans have placed in space although not being used anymore.


Satellite to Potentially Become Space Debris

According to experts, the main apprehension is that such debris will hit the space station, satellite, or other equipment.

Space debris is orbiting around the Earth very quickly, approximately 25,000 kilometers per hour in low-Earth orbit. As a result, it could then lead to major damage if it hits a spacecraft or satellite.

Speaking to news agency Reuters, Britain-based University of Southampton's Professor Hugh Lewis said each satellite that goes into orbit has the possibility of turning into space debris. Lewis is head of the university's Astronautics Research Group.

With several satellite deployments increasing, near-Earth space is likely to see more space junks in the years yet to come.

Russia is not the only country to have damaged a satellite. Countries including the United States, India, and China have performed other anti-satellite missile tests.

Space Junk Size and Effect

The US government is tracking more than 20,000 debris huger than a softball that orbits the Earth. 

Approximately 500,000 pieces of debris are bigger than one centimeter, and a million pieces are roughly one millimeter or huger.

Head of the European Space Agency's Space Safety Program Office Holger Krag told Reutters that if the accumulation of debris continues, some space sites might become unusable.

The recently destroyed satellite had been launched in the early 1980s. Its weight was over 2,000 kilograms. US officials said the trial produced more than 1,500 pieces of "trackable orbital orbits."

According to the US Space Command, the missile strike could produce hundreds of thousands of additional tinier pieces of debris.

Crew Members Aboard ISS Stayed Inside Capsules for Missile Test

Members of the crew aboard the ISS were directed to take shelter in their attached spaceship capsules for two hours following the missile test. The safety measure came in case the crew members needed to leave due to probable damage from debris.

NASA said debris in orbits 600 kilometers or less from this planet would fall back to Earth within several years. Although debris over 1,000 kilometers is expected to continue orbiting for 100 years or more, TRT World said in a similar report. Lewis explained, to solve the problem with space debris, there is a need to begin removing that type of object.

Meanwhile, Japan's Exploration Agency or JAXA and the European Space Agency or ESA have partnered with private firms to find ways to eliminate space debris.

On top of being a threat to space astronauts and property, debris also makes it costlier for satellite operators. Space experts have approximated that protection, not to mention reduction initiatives that deal with space junk, comprise roughly five to 10 percent of satellite mission costs.

Research by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that lower-Earth orbits were even more costly.

Related information about space junk is shown on Tech Insider's YouTube video below:

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