By: Alexander Zhang

Washington, D.C- NASA has confirmed that the Russian Satellite known as Resurs P1, was destroyed into 100 small pieces between June 26 and June 27. The satellite was orbiting at 220 miles above the ground before breaking up.

Resurs P1 was launched into space in 2013 by a Soyuz-2 rocket, lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite’s purpose was to study the Earth to assist with meteorology, transportation, and agriculture. Russia decommissioned the satellite in 2022, three years after the planned decommission date.

Scientists are worried that the debris from this satellite might impact other spacecraft, such as the ISS (International Space Station). Astronauts aboard the ISS were ordered to halt their work and move into a safe area for an hour. The most concerning possibility of the detonation is that Russia fired a missile to destroy it. The evidence for this was that the satellite indeed did pass over a Russian launch site with the capabilities of missile-launching.

Before the U.S Space Force can finish tracking the debris, the space trash poses a major threat to all other spacecraft orbiting Earth. For example, the trash can deter objects shown on radar, posing a risk for spacecraft to crash into it. The worst case scenario could result in the domino effect: debris destroying spacecraft and the new debris destroying more.