ISS astronauts face threat from space debris after Russia blows up old satellite

TAMPA, Fla. - NASA says astronauts onboard the International Space Station now face a four-times greater risk of hitting space debris after Russia blew up one of its old satellites in a test of an anti-sat missile.

"Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the sustainability of our outer space and clearly demonstrates Russia’s claims of opposing weapons in space are hypocritical," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

The U.S. State Department says other satellites are now in danger. Imagery from Numerica Corp. showed before and after impact. There are said to be more than 1,500 pieces of new debris.

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Four Americans, one German and two Russians onboard ISS had to rush to shelter inside in their docked capsules.

In 2007, China did a similar test that also created a lot of debris.

Anti-sat missile tests from the U.S. in 2008 and India in 2019 were done at lower altitudes that didn’t threaten the space station.

Roger Handberg, a political science professor with the University of Central Florida, says from an international relations perspective -- this is nothing more than a test of strength, or a game.

"It’s typical we shot down one of our aging satellites in 2008, China did one in 2007 and Russia did theirs in 2021," Handberg said.

The U.S. Department of Defense said it was not made aware of Russia’s missile test in advance.