Russia carried out the first successful flight test of a new anti-satellite missile this month, marking a new phase in the global militarization of space. The flight test of Russia’s direct ascent anti-satellite missile, known as Nudol, took place Nov. 18, according to defense officials familiar with reports of the test. It was the first successful test in three attempts, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Russia Conducts Fifth Test of New Anti-Satellite MissileThird successful flight test of satellite-killing weaponBY: Bill Gertz December 21, 2016 5:00 amRussia successfully flight tested a new missile capable of knocking out strategic U.S. communications and navigation satellites, according to Pentagon officials. The test of the PL-19 Nudol missile was carried out Dec. 16 from a base in central Russia, and was monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies. It was the fifth test of the Nudol missile and the third successful flight of a system Moscow has claimed is for use against enemy missiles, said officials familiar with the reports of the launch. The exact location of the flight test was not disclosed. Earlier tests of the missile took place from a facility near Plesetsk, located 500 miles north of Moscow. It could not be learned if the Nudol was sent into space or fired in a sub-orbital trajectory.Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza declined to comment. “We generally don’t comment on other countries’ capabilities,” she said.Earlier tests took place May 24 and Nov. 18, 2015. Both tests were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.The high rate of testing is an indication the program is a military priority and is progressing toward deployment.The new anti-satellite missile is among several new strategic weapons systems being developed by the Russian military. The Nudol is viewed by the Pentagon as a so-called “direct ascent” anti-satellite missile. Russia, however, has sought to mask the missile’s anti-satellite capabilities by claiming the missile is for defense against incoming ballistic missiles.The Pentagon is worried about the development of anti-satellite weapons by both Russia and China. Gen. John Hyten, the commander of Air Force Space Command who was recently promoted to lead Strategic Command, has stated that Russia and China are building space warfare systems that are worrying. “They are developing capabilities that concern us,” Hyten has said.In March, Air Force Lt. Gen. David J. Buck, commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, revealed during House testimony that the Russian military is developing weapons with “counter-space capabilities.” “Russia views U.S. dependency on space as an exploitable vulnerability, and they are taking delite actions to strengthen their counter-space capabilities,” Buck said.Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon strategic arms policymaker, said the current asymmetry between the United States and other nations in anti-satellite capabilities “is of enormous significance.” “Potentially, it could result in our defeat in a high intensity conflict,” Schneider said. “The complete loss of the GPS network, or its serious degradation, would eliminate the effectiveness of all existing long-range conventional strike cruise missiles and would degrade the functioning of many of our precision guided weapons.” Anti-satellite missiles also could be used to knock out communications satellites. “We have begun to take some steps to reduce our reliance on GPS but this will not be near term,” Schneider said.Michaela Dodge, a defense analyst at the Heritage Foundation, said the Russian test highlights the growing threat to space from new weapons. “The test demonstrates the need for the United States to treat space as an increasingly contested environment where access might not be guaranteed as it has been in the past,” she said.“It demonstrates the need to exercise scenarios in which U.S. military might not have a complete access to its complete utilization,” Dodge added. “The test also illustrates the need to protect and diversify U.S. space infrastructure.”U.S. intelligence agencies have estimated that U.S. military operations could be severely disrupted with only two dozen or so anti-satellite attacks. Satellites are used for precision navigation, targeting, and communications and intelligence gathering. The Pentagon is very dependent on satellites for long-range warfare operations, an American military specialty. Both Russia and China have recognized the strategic vulnerability of U.S. dependency on satellites. Anti-satellite missiles are regarded as important asymmetric warfare weapons.Both China and Russia are developing lasers and other directed-energy weapons that can blind or disrupt satellites. Small satellites capable of maneuvering in space and grabbing and crushing satellites also are being developed. Russian generals have mentioned their forces fielding anti-satellite capabilities in public statements, but with few details. For example, Russian Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko, former commander of space forces, has said the S-500 anti-missile system is capable of hitting “low-orbit satellites and space weapons.”In May, Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, was quoted as saying that discussion of “space kamikazes” suggests Moscow is preparing for a conflict in space with the United States.The TASS news agency reported that the A-60, a variation of the IL-76 transport aircraft, has a laser anti-satellite capability. In October, TASS reported that the Nudol is called the A-235 and is being developed to replace the current nuclear-tipped missile defense system ringing Moscow. Missile defense interceptors share characteristics with space-faring satellite killers. Both travel at high rates of speed and require precision targeting and guidance.The United States has no anti-satellite weapons. However, a Navy SM-3 anti-missile interceptor was modified to shoot down a de-orbiting intelligence satellite in 2008, indicating U.S. missile defenses could be used to target foreign satellites.The Defense Intelligence Agency stated in a report to Congress last year that Russia leaders “openly assert that the Russian armed forces have anti-satellite weapons and conduct anti-satellite research.”China conducted a flight test of its new anti-satellite missile in early December. Preparations for the test were first reported by the Free Beacon.The missile was identified as a DN-3 direct ascent missile. That system, like the Russian Nudol, is being developed under cover as a missile-defense weapon. China’s Defense Ministry said the Free Beacon report of test preparations for the DN-3 was “groundless.”
It seems that the writer of the last article does not understand the difference between1) suborbital space2) LEO3) MEO4) GEOI've heard no credible source saying nudol can reach 18Mm (height of Navstar satellites) or 36 Mm, but this article talks about it killing GPS asatellites or US military communication satellites.
Sources: Russia tests anti-satellite weaponBy Jim Sciutto, Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, CNNUpdated 1712 GMT (0112 HKT) December 21, 2016(CNN)Russia has recently tested what is believed to be an anti-satellite weapon, US sources with knowledge of the test told CNN.The US tracked the weapon and it did not create debris, indicating it did not destroy a target, the source said.The Russian test, coming as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to enter the White House next month, could be seen as a provocative demonstration of Moscow's capability in space.Russia has demonstrated the ability to launch anti-satellite weapons in the past, including its Nudol missile.US military officials have expressed concerns about Russia's burgeoning anti-satellite arsenal, as the US has become increasingly dependent on satellites for both military and commercial uses.US officials believe Russia has also deployed what could be kamikaze satellites, known as "Kosmos 2499," which are designed to sidle up to American satellites and, if ordered, destroy or disable them. "We have very good surveillance and intelligence capabilities, so we can see the threats that are being built," Gen. John Hyten, the commander of US Strategic command, told CNN in November. "So we're developing capabilities to defend ourselves."Russia is not alone in the development of these type of weapons. China has conducted similar tests, destroying an old weather satellite in 2007 -- a move analysts saw as indicative of China's growing military capability.The US has also destroyed a satellites in space, obliterating one with a missile in 2008 after American officials said the satellite's orbital decay posed a risk.Capt. Nicholas Mercurio, a spokesman for the command that oversees US space operations, declined to comment on the report of a Russian anti-satellite weapon test.
Three Russian satellites that were sent into low orbit in 2013 are on the move again, and no one knows what they are for, The Daily Beast reports. Having been idle for more than a year, one of the satellites went hundreds of meters off its orbit last month to within 1,200 meters of a piece of a Chinese weather satellite that China smashed in a 2007 anti-satellite rocket test.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., April 15, 2020 —U.S. Space Command is aware and tracking Russia’s direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test April 15.“Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” said Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, USSPACECOM commander and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. “The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies and U.S. interests from hostile acts in space.”Russia’s missile system is capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and comes on the heels of Russia’s on-orbit testing the U.S. highlighted in February, namely COSMOS 2542 and COSMOS 2543. These satellites, which behaved similar to previous Russian satellites that exhibited characteristics of a space weapon, conducted maneuvers near a U.S. Government satellite that would be interpreted as irresponsible and potentially threatening in any other domain.“This test is further proof of Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control proposals designed to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting their counterspace weapons programs,” Raymond said. “Space is critical to all nations and our way of life. The demands on space systems continue in this time of crisis where global logistics, transportation and communication are key to defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.“It is a shared interest and responsibility of all spacefaring nations to create safe, stable and operationally sustainable conditions for space activities, including commercial, civil and national security activities,” Raymond concluded.
As posted last week , when the Nav Warns were issued , two areas came to light.Area B the splash zone , but was area "A" related to the fall area of the booster?As the news gradually breaks , there is no detail about the actual time of the incident. Does anyone have any info please ?
The NOTAM for the first stage was active between 15:00 and 21:00 UTC, and the NOTAM for the splashdown over the Arctic Ocean was between 15:15 and 15:21. Not sure why there's a discrepancy there, but that would put the launch sometime around 15:00 UTC today.
Based on comments by @nktpnd and @M_R_Thomp I conclude this was a flight test of the Nudol' antisatellite launch vehicle from Plesetsk at about 1500 UTC, probably with a dummy kill vehicle that fell in the Laptev Sea. Likely that no actual intercept was carried out
If they do do a real intercept in future (hope they don't), one might first expect launch of a target satellite in very low orbit (like the Indians did). No good candidates right now. Kosmos-2525/EMKA is low enough but they still seem to be using it for its recon mission
https://mobile.twitter.com/planet4589/status/1250538503768768518QuoteIf they do do a real intercept in future (hope they don't), one might first expect launch of a target satellite in very low orbit (like the Indians did). No good candidates right now. Kosmos-2525/EMKA is low enough but they still seem to be using it for its recon mission
Can anybody guide me why would Russia be better off NOT doing a real satellite intercept in future? Is it due to littering the lower earth orbit with debris or political reasons?
Russia tests direct-ascent anti-satellite missileBy U.S. Space Command Public Affairs Office“Russia has conducted a test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile. Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield, yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space by developing and fielding on-orbit and ground-based capabilities that seek to exploit U.S. reliance on space-based systems,” said U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander.“Russia’s persistent testing of these systems demonstrates threats to U.S. and allied space systems are rapidly advancing. The establishment of U.S. Space Command as the nation’s unified combatant command for space and U.S. Space Force as the primary branch of the U.S. Armed Forces that presents space combat and combat support capabilities to U.S. Space Command could not have been timelier. We stand ready and committed to deter aggression and defend our Nation and our allies from hostile acts in space.”The United States is concerned by Russia’s continued development and deployment of several types of ground-based and space-based ASAT weapons. These actions are contrary to Russia’s diplomatic and public stance against the weaponization of space. Specifically, Russia has demonstrated two completely different types of space weapons.The first type of kinetic weapon is a DA-ASAT system capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit, which they have tested multiple times. If this weapon is tested on an actual satellite or used operationally, it will cause a large debris field that could endanger commercial satellites and irrevocably pollute the space domain.The second type is a co-orbital ASAT, a space-based weapon system, which demonstrated an on-orbit kinetic weapon in 2017 and again in 2020. Furthermore, in March 2018, President Putin announced the development of a ground-based laser system for use by the Russian Space Forces, which the Russian military acknowledged as a “combat laser system.” This pattern of behavior would be considered potentially threatening in any other domain.“Russia has made space a warfighting domain by testing space-based and ground-based weapons intended to target and destroy satellites," Dickinson added. "This fact is inconsistent with Moscow’s public claims that Russia seeks to prevent conflict in space. Space is critical to all nations. It is a shared interest to create the conditions for a safe, stable, and operationally sustainable space environment. The demands on the space systems continue in this time of crisis where global logistics, transportation, and communications are key to defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.”
https://i.postimg.cc/pXH3nNZR/LAPTEV-SEA.jpgLooks familiar...if we see a further Nav warn for POMORSKY STRAIT CHYOSHSKAYA GUBA , then this suggests another satellite missile test as last December...https://www.spacecom.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2448334/russia-tests-direct-ascent-anti-satellite-missile/240530 UTC MAY 21NAVAREA XX 64/21LAPTEV SEA.CHARTS RUS 10102, 10104.1. ROCKET LAUNCHING 1600 TO 1800 UTC 29 MAYIN AREA TEMPORARILY DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATION BOUNDED BY:83-00.0N 099-00.0E, 83-00.0N 137-00.0E, 77-10.0N 137-00.0E,76-00.0N 134-30.0E, 77-20.0N 121-40.0E, 77-50.0N 109-40.0E,78-20.0N 106-50.0E, 78-40.0N 106-50.0E, 80-30.0N 099-00.0E.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 291900 UTC MAY 21.=NNNN
..and here is the follow up.Same window as the Laptev Nav Warn and same pattern as previous missile tests.https://i.postimg.cc/Yq79fCpy/C-GUBA.jpg251730 UTC MAY 21NAVAREA XX 65/21BARENTS * SEA AND CHYOSHSKAYA GUBA.CHART RUS * 10100.1. ROCKET LAUNCHING 1600 TO 1800 UTC 29 MAYNAVIGATION PROHIBITED IN TERRITORIAL WATERS DANGEROUSOUTSIDE IN AREA BOUNDED BY:68-33-09N 047-36-22E, 68-20-31N 048-45-25E,67-01-42N 046-43-04E, 67-13-00N 045-51-00E,67-53-06N 046-50-32E.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 291900 UTC MAY 21.=NNNNThe question now is will this be another dummy test , or considering the nature of the two hour window , a "live" target ?
Still no news about the possible ASAT Launch last month.Lets see what happens with this one...SLICBM today?
Today or tomorrow (June 10 or 11, from 06:00 to 12:00 UTC) an ICBM is scheduled to be launched from the Plesetsk test site. The allotment of zones for the fall fields suggests the launch of the 15A28 "Sarmat" ICBM.
If true though, it would be one of the, if not the, most reckless and stupid ASAT ever.
Is there any way to know when the NOTAM/Navigational warning was posted? I'd like to know if it was planned for a long time or just appeared recently, and if what is the usual lead time on those things.
Russian direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test creates significant, long-lasting space debrisBy U.S. Space Command Public Affairs OfficePETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile on Nov. 15, 2021, Moscow Standard Time, that struck a Russian satellite [COSMOS 1408] and created a debris field in low-Earth orbit. The test so far has generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris.“Russia has demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the security, safety, stability, and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations,” said U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander. “The debris created by Russia's DA-ASAT will continue to pose a threat to activities in outer space for years to come, putting satellites and space missions at risk, as well as forcing more collision avoidance maneuvers. Space activities underpin our way of life and this kind of behavior is simply irresponsible.”USSPACECOM's initial assessment is that the debris will remain in orbit for years and potentially for decades, posing a significant risk to the crew on the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities, as well as multiple countries' satellites. USSPACECOM continues to monitor the trajectory of the debris and will work to ensure all space-faring nations have the information necessary to safeguard their on-orbit activities if impacted by the debris cloud, a service the United States provides to the world, to include Russia and China.“Russia is developing and deploying capabilities to actively deny access to and use of space by the United States and its allies and partners,” Dickinson added. “Russia's tests of direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons clearly demonstrate that Russia continues to pursue counterspace weapon systems that undermine strategic stability and pose a threat to all nations.”
As this new debris decays it will pass through the Starlink layers! will it pose a significant risk? will it be widely dispersed by then?Right now it is just above Starlink.
I haven't seen any mention of the altitude of the debris field. Anyone else see it mentioned anywhere? The inclination looked highe than ISS based on the upthread posts, but that also is not mentioned.
Quote from: DistantTemple on 11/15/2021 11:45 pmAs this new debris decays it will pass through the Starlink layers! will it pose a significant risk? will it be widely dispersed by then?Right now it is just above Starlink.I forgot; is the Starlink satellite autonomous collision avoidance operational?They may be the satellites best able to handle the threat.
The Chinese Space Station, at around 400 KM, would be below the debris cloud for now, but I would think it would eventually be a concern, unless maybe the phasing of the cloud's position vs the position of the Chinese Station would be enough to ensure separation.
posing a significant risk to the crew on the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities
Right now it is just above Starlink.
https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1460574303821385728
On November 15 the Russian Defense Ministry successfully conducted a test that hit the inoperable Russian Tselina-D spacecraft, which has been in orbit since 1982. The U.S. knows for certain that based on the time of the test and the orbital parameters the fragments that were created did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities. The fragments have been included in the main catalog of the national space surveillance system and will be tracked until they are destroyed. Previously, similar tests in space have been conducted by the United States, China and India.
FROMhttps://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_seeks_to_reassure_ISS_astronauts_after_missile_claims_999.html"US officials said they were not informed in advance of the anti-satellite missile test -- only the fourth ever to hit a spacecraft from the ground -- which generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris."Really ?Do they not monitor Navigational Warnings and NOTAMs ?Must admit I took my eye off the ball on this one , but previous tests by both Russia and India have been given a heads up days before .On two previous occassions I have even given US Space Command all the details , days in advance which they completely ignored. This time round I suspect the Nav Warn was issued just once and unfortunately my sat system went down at just the wrong time
The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday confirmed that the Tselina-D spacecraft had been hit as a result of successful tests. The Russian military say that the debris left from it was immediately taken for escort and did not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the successful testing of the anti-satellite system by Russia . According to him, “it struck the old satellite with jewelry,” and its debris does not threaten space activities.
Quote from: Rondaz on 11/16/2021 10:21 pmRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the successful testing of the anti-satellite system by Russia . According to him, “it struck the old satellite with jewelry,” and its debris does not threaten space activities.What are we to make of the bolded statement?
11 tweet thread when you have to move out of the way of a Starlink satellite, but silence when Russia intentionally creates thousands of pieces of new debris?twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1460709441435684864
At this time, none of the Galileo or Copernicus satellites have been impacted. However, close monitoring of the situation is necessary to track the potential impact on the 240 European satellites covered by EU SST.
Is it possible that Russia chose to destroy the Cosmos 1408 because it was concerned about any derelict Soviet spy satellite colliding with active American and European communications and weather satellites, like what happened in February 2009 when the Cosmos 2251 collided with the Iridium 33?
We now have good input on the range of inclination distribution in the debris cloud: the ASAT appears to have generated a Gaussian +/-1.5 degrees structure, which is significant, beyond the +/- 60-100 km in altitude for most of the debris pieces tracked so far.https://twitter.com/mikeclindsay/status/1461252315839488003
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the fragments of the old satellite formed during the testing of the anti-satellite system do not pose any threat to space activities.
You're really missing something here. After the US performed its ASAT test in 1985 that generated debris, the United States sought to develop "non-kinetic" counter-satellite technology--in other words, stuff that did not create debris. That included jamming, hacking, and other ways of negating a satellite without creating debris that poses a hazard to other satellites.
Rogozin said that the fragments of the downed satellite are not dangerous for the ISS.Rogozin: Roscosmos is tracking fragments of a downed satellite, they are not dangerous for the ISS....Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed a video proving that the International Space Station is located 40-60 kilometers below the fragments of the Tselina-D satellite, and nothing threatens the station.
Quote from: Rondaz on 11/20/2021 08:03 pmRogozin said that the fragments of the downed satellite are not dangerous for the ISS.Rogozin: Roscosmos is tracking fragments of a downed satellite, they are not dangerous for the ISS....Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed a video proving that the International Space Station is located 40-60 kilometers below the fragments of the Tselina-D satellite, and nothing threatens the station.I'm trying to figure out if these people are liars or morons. Anyone have insight?
745 debris objects now cataloged from the Kosmos-1408/ASAT event; 23 have already reentered. Here's the latest Gabbard diagram (red: perigee; blue: apogee for each object)https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1474257260239073282
Some new bits in this story. In an interview, Dmitry Rogozin indicates he's unhappy with all the "debris scattered across the orbit" from Russia's ASAT test and says its unlikely the Russian military will test-launch another one in the future.Also - the State Department is considering calling for an antisatellite test moratorium, possibly during the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva next year, per two US officials.A day before the ASAT test, senior NASA officials flew to Moscow to negotiate two key ISS agreements, meeting with Rogozin for dinner at one point. They echoed Nelson's condemnation of the test, and "it was a very productive discussion,” Cabana says.Nelson strongly condemned the RU military's ASAT test, but speculated that his counterpart Rogozin didn't see it coming. Indeed, in the interview, Rogozin said Roscosmos wasn't consulted prior. But he added: “I’m not going to tell you everything I know.”
Bart, great stuff as usual.One clarification question - those patents for the "hypersonic flying apparatuses" refer to the missile body and not the launch tube or TEL, right?
Gabbard diagram for the Russian ASAT test based on Space-Track TLEs for first 100 or so objects cataloged. Each object gets two dots: perigee (red) and apogee (blue)https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1465587994119880705
Quote from: Rondaz on 11/30/2021 10:31 amGabbard diagram for the Russian ASAT test based on Space-Track TLEs for first 100 or so objects cataloged. Each object gets two dots: perigee (red) and apogee (blue)It would be neat if someone (Dr McDowell?) coukd make a GIF or video of these Gabbard diagrams to show the evolution with time. Compare these the early one above to the more recent one below. It is clear that the left end, short period debris with low perigees and apogees, is “bending down” and”stretching left” as their orbits decay from the exospheric drag. It can be reasoned that for each of these detectable and trackable debris there are many smaller untrackable debris. Because they are smaller, it is likely their ballistic coefficients are lower and their decay faster. One can imagine that each apogee point on the graphs is the source of a mini-shower descending from it to the lower left, filling up that space on the diagrams.
Gabbard diagram for the Russian ASAT test based on Space-Track TLEs for first 100 or so objects cataloged. Each object gets two dots: perigee (red) and apogee (blue)
A patent for a transporter erector launcher (TEL) published in 2019 has recently been linked by several analysts to Nudol. https://patents.s3.yandex.net/RU187952U1_20190325.pdfThe first three attachments are taken from this patent. The official patent holder is the Ministry of Defense, but the authors can be identified as working for the Design Bureau of Special Machine Building (KBSM), which is known to have a role in developing Nudol’s TEL (based on some of its annual reports). There is no specific reference to Nudol in the patent description. Presumably, the conclusion that this is the Nudol TEL is based on the fact that it looks identical to a drawing of a TEL with two missile launch tubes that appeared in a 2015 calendar of Almaz-Antei, Nudol’s prime contractor (see attachment 4). This has been interpreted by some Russian analysts as showing the Nudol TEL, although that has never been confirmed.
Incidentally, the inspection report for OKB Novator mentions something called “103T6/Novator”. This probably is a new anti-missile project of OKB Novator. The only other place where 103T6 appears is the 2020 annual report of PAO Radiofizika, which probably develops radar systems in support of this project. Possibly, this is supposed to become the medium-range component of the upgraded A-235 ABM system to defend the Moscow region against missile attacks. What likely will become the system’s short-range component, Novator’s 53T6M, has been undergoing test flights for about a decade. The long-range component is probably supposed to become the MIT Corporation’s Aerostat/106T6 missile (which possibly has an added ASAT capability).
ASAP’s Mark Sirangelo says the ISS received 681 conjunction notifications through June 1 of this year; 505 linked to Russian ASAT test. Number of conjunctions has increased “by multiples” in recent years.
Allegedly this a PL-19 / NUDOL ASAT test launch:
Quote from: Star One on 08/31/2022 11:13 amAllegedly this a PL-19 / NUDOL ASAT test launch:This is not Nudol. The desert-like terrain seen in the video suggests this is an anti-missile test launch from Kapustin Yar or Sary Shagan. It's definitely not Plesetsk, which is the home base of Nudol. Many websites confuse Nudol with the A-235 anti-ballistic missile system to be installed around Moscow and incorrectly link test flights under A-235 to Nudol. This also seems to have happened here. We do know what Nudol looks like (see Reply 122), but so far the Russians have released no video of it.
The International Space Station had to burn thrusters for more than 5 minutes on Monday night to avoid a chunk of debris from the satellite Russia shot down in November.
Space Station Maneuvers to Avoid Orbital DebrisThis evening, the International Space Station’s Progress 81 thrusters fired for 5 minutes, 5 seconds in a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) to provide the complex an extra measure of distance away from the predicted track of a fragment of Russian Cosmos 1408 debris.The thruster firing occurred at 8:25 p.m. EDT and the maneuver had no impact on station operations. Without the maneuver, it was predicted that the fragment could have passed within about three miles from the station.The PDAM increased the station’s altitude by 2/10 of a mile at apogee and 8/10 of a mile at perigee and left the station in an orbit of 264.3 x 255.4 statute miles.
Another ISS collision avoidance burn; the debris culprit this time is probably object 51561 (1982-092BMN), a piece of Kosmos-1408 debris
51561 is in an elliptical 408 x 603 km orbit, and its perigee recently crossed the ISS orbital height range
