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(CNN) - The
United States strongly condemned a Russian anti-satellite test on Monday that forced members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew to get into their spacecraft for safety, calling it "a reckless and dangerous act. ".
And he said he "will not tolerate" behavior that puts international interests at risk.
The US Space Command said that Russia tested a direct-climb anti-satellite missile, or DA-ASAT.
It struck a Russian satellite and created a low-Earth orbit debris field of more than 1,500 pieces of traceable orbital debris.
These are also likely to generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris.
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Threat to satellites
US officials emphasized the long-term dangers and possible global economic consequences of the Russian test.
They said it has created dangers for satellites that provide telephony and broadband services and weather forecasting.
They also affect GPS systems that support aspects of the financial system, including ATMs, as well as inflight entertainment and satellite radio and television.
"Russia has displayed a deliberate disregard for the security, safety, stability and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations," said US Space Command Commander Gen. James Dickinson.
"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 maneuvers to avoid collisions. Space activities sustain our way of life and this kind of behavior is simply irresponsible. "
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement that he was "outraged by this irresponsible and destabilizing action. With its long and storied history of manned space flight, it is unthinkable that Russia would endanger not only American and international astronauts. partners on the ISS, but also their own cosmonauts. Their actions are reckless and dangerous, and they also threaten the Chinese space station. "
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Dispute in space
The crew aboard the ISS had to quickly don their suits and jump into their ships in case the station was hit by debris, according to the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS.
Two US officials told CNN that the precautionary measures were the direct result of the debris cloud caused by the Russian test.
There are currently seven astronauts on the space station, including NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.
As well as the newly arrived Crew 3 mission team, featuring NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer.
NASA said that "the crew was awakened and directed to close the hatches of the radial modules at the station."
Meanwhile, the hatches between the US and Russia segments remained open.
"An additional precautionary measure was implemented to protect the crew from two passes through or near the debris cloud," NASA said.
"The crew members made their way to their spacecraft shortly before 2 a.m. EST and remained there until approximately 4 a.m. The event was based on a risk assessment conducted by the Center's debris office and ballistics specialists. Johnson Space Station in Houston ".
Space debris
On Monday morning, Shkaplerov tweeted: "Friends, everything normal with us! We continue to work according to schedule."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Nelson and Dickinson's convictions in a statement Monday.
"The long-lived debris created by this dangerous and irresponsible test will now threaten satellites and other space objects that are vital to the security, economic and scientific interests of all nations for decades to come," Blinken said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the test "will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as other manned space flight activities."
He added that "Russia's claims to oppose weapons and the militarization of space are false and hypocritical."
Only a handful of successful antisatellite weapons tests have been conducted by the United States, Russia, China, and India.
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Russia's 'irresponsible' behavior
Price said the US would consult with allies and partners on a response.
"I do not want to anticipate specific measures that we can follow, that our partners and allies may seek, but we will continue to make it very clear that we will not tolerate this type of activity," Price said.
He added that the United States wanted "to make it very clear why this is so dangerous, why this is so irresponsible behavior on the part of a nation state."
Price said the United States had spoken with senior Russian officials on several occasions to warn them of the danger of such a test.
But he did not say whether there was a formal diplomatic communication with Moscow.
International Space Station crew had to seek refuge
When asked about reports that the ISS crew had to seek refuge, Price referred the journalists to Russia.
And he emphasized that both American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts were affected.
The space station remains at risk of impact from objects too small to be tracked while orbiting 220 nautical miles above Earth.
These small objects could be chunks of rock, micrometeorites, dust particles, or even paint stains that come off the satellites.
Space Command said it is examining the new wave of debris.
"We are actively working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure that all space-traveling nations have the necessary information to maneuver satellites in the event of an impact," said a Space Command spokesman.
"We are also in the process of working with the interagency, including the State Department and NASA, on these reports and will provide an update in the near future."
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'A danger even to the International Space Station'
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday that "the most immediate concern is the debris itself, which is now floating and could become a hazard, including to the International Space Station."
Kirby said the Pentagon is watching "closely the kind of capabilities that Russia seems to want to develop."
"We are looking closely at the kinds of capabilities that Russia seems to want to develop that could pose a threat not only to our national security interests, but also to the security interests of other nations navigating space," Kirby said.
"And again, we have been very clear, we would like to see standards for space, so that it can be used responsibly by all nations that travel to space."
Tensions between the United States and Russia
The incident comes at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Russia.
US officials have publicly sounded the alarm about the concentration of Russian troops near its border with Ukraine.
They also joined European nations in expressing concern about the migration crisis on the border with Belarus, which European officials have described as a crisis created by Belarus with Russian backing as an act of "hybrid warfare" against Europe.
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CNN's Ashley Strickland, Oren Liebermann, and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
Missiles
