According to sources amid warnings and concerns of space debris following India's anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test, the head of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Tuesday branded India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible thing" that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

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Meanwhile Jim Bridenstine was addressing employees of NASA after India shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test to prove it was among the world's advanced space powers. Not all of the pieces were big enough to track. Furthermore Bridenstine explained "What we are tracking right now, objects big enough to track we are talking about 10 centimeters or bigger about 60 pieces have been tracked."

 


Reportedly the satellite was destroyed at a relatively low altitude of 300 kilometers, well below the ISS and most satellites in orbit, but 24 of the pieces "are going above the apogee of the International Space Station. Moreover it is unacceptable and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is. Apparently the US military tracks objects in space to predict the collision risk for the ISS and for satellites. They are currently tracking 23,000 objects larger than 10 centimeters.


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