--- title: "Dangerous Debris From India’s Exploded Satellite Still Orbiting Earth" description: "Six weeks after India promised all of the debris from their missile test satellite burned up in the atmosphere, 41 out of 400 pieces still remain." date: "2019-06-27" modified: "2019-06-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/debris-india-satellite-orbiting-earth" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "india" - "space debris" - "space junk" - "the digest" --- # Dangerous Debris From India’s Exploded Satellite Still Orbiting Earth ![Six weeks after Indian authorities promised all of the debris created by their missile test was burned up in the atmosphere, 41 out of 400 pieces remain.]() *\Image: Analytical Graphics, Inc.\* ## Controversial Missile Test When Indian authorities shot down a satellite with a missile on March 27, they estimated that the remains of the satellite would decay within 45 days. But that's not quite what happened. Six weeks later — past that promised date — astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics are still tracking some 41 debris objects left[ out of 400]() originally identified in Earth's orbit. And for it all to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, it would take at least another "year or so," as the [*Independent* reports](). https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1143606819484516352 Making matters worse, some 24 pieces of debris ascended to an altitude above the International Space Station’s 250 miles-high location, posing an [“unacceptable” threat]() to the astronauts on board. "The test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris," India's Ministry of External Affairs wrote [on its website](). “Whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks.” ## A "Terrible Thing" The controversial missile test was hailed as a big success by India's Prime Minister. “India is now a major space power,” said Narendra Modi at the time, according to [local news](). “India has achieved a big feat today.” But NASA was not impressed to say the least. "That is a terrible, terrible thing to create an event that sends debris at an apogee that goes above the International Space Station," NASA administrator [Jim Bridenstine said]() during a town hall in April. "That kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human spaceflight." **READ MORE:** [Debris from satellite blown up by India still flying around Earth, six weeks after Delhi claimed it should have decayed]() \[*The Independent*\] **More on the satellite test:** *[India Blew up a Satellite. Now A “Space Fence” Is Tracking Its Debris]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()