Low-earth orbit satellites threatened by debris from Indian anti-satellite test

WASHINGTON: The U.S. government is tracking 57 pieces of softball-sized space debris caused by the March 27 Indian ASAT test, the bulk of which is passing through the orbits of spacecraft stationed between 300km and 800km — a fairly populated portion of LEO. Most of the debris from the test will fall from space naturally within two months or so, as the Indian government has been eager to point out, because of the relatively low orbit of the Mission Shakrit impact. T.S. Kelso, senior astrodynamicist at Analytical Graphic Inc.’s Center for Space Standards and Innovation, said that while it is difficult right now to assess the risks of any one satellite crashing into a piece of the Indian debris, his company would be using its SOCRATES and Space Data Center tools to keep watch for potential collisions.

Source: breakingdefense.com