--- title: "Surprise! The ISS Is Still at Risk From Russian Weapon Test" description: "NASA has announced that the International Space Station (ISS) is still at a heightened risk of colliding with Russian space debris." date: "2021-11-19" modified: "2021-11-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/iss-risk-russian-weapon-test" categories: - "International Space Station" - "NASA" - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "Russia" - "satellites" --- # Surprise! The ISS Is Still at Risk From Russian Weapon Test ![NASA has announced that the International Space Station (ISS) is still at a heightened risk of colliding with Russian space debris.]() *\Image: NASA / Futurism\* In a twist absolutely no one could have seen coming, NASA says the International Space Station (ISS) is still at a heightened risk of colliding with space debris after Russia blew up a satellite with a missile earlier in the week. NASA said [in a statement to the *Associated Press*]() that although "the highest threat to the station and its seven residents was in the first 24 hours" after Russia**'s** surprise weapons test on Monday, there's still enough risk to reconsider an upcoming spacewalk. As the *AP*'s report noted, there are more than 1,500 satellite fragments from the blast being tracked by NASA, but it's possible that there are possibly still "hundreds of thousands" of pieces that are too small to see from Earth. Russia's antisatellite test led to panic and confusion Monday as the world learned of the threat to the ISS and its seven inhabitants before learning of the military activity that caused it. For most of the day, all we knew on Earth was that [ISS astronauts were forced to shelter in place]() inside their docked spaceships as they maneuvered out of the way of a cloud of mysterious space junk. In spite of [endangering its own cosmonauts](), [Russia defended the antisatellite test](), calling it a "successful" launch and falsely claiming that space junk doesn't "pose any threat to space activities." While the ISS may be out of the proverbial woods for now, the problem of space debris clouds won't go away on its own. Just a few days prior to Russia's weapon's test, the [ISS had to rush to avoid yet another cloud of satellite fragments](), this time from a Chinese antisatellite test that took place more than 10 years ago. Even worse would be [Kessler syndrome](), which predicts that collisions in Earth's orbit — like missiles and the satellites they blow up — could create a cascade of space junk that smashes into more orbital debris, creating *even more* space junk, ad infinitum. The phenomenon could, theoretically, turn Earth's entire orbit into a whirling death machine that prevents further space travel indefinitely. As more satellites enter orbit and the US, China, and Russia continue to [play chicken with antisatellite weaponry tests](), the possibility of [a huge cloud of unnavigable space trash]() orbiting Earth seems nigh — and that's terrible news for the ISS and any other civilian space exploration projects. **Read more:** "[What to Know About Kessler Syndrome, the Ultimate Space Disaster]()" \[*Gizmodo*\] **More on Russia's space junk debacle:** "[*Hear the Moment ISS Crew Scrambles for Safety from Russian Satellite Debris*]()" ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()