Pakistan concerned as debris of satellite destroyed by India endanger space station

NASA chief had branded India’s destruction of satellite ‘terrible thing’ that had created 400 pieces of orbital...

Pakistan on Tuesday expressed deep concerns over the assessment of relevant organisations and international experts on the threats resulting from space debris generated by the recently conducted Anti-Satellite weapon (ASAT) test by India.

The reports that some of the space debris created by the last week’s test has been pushed above the apogee of the International Space Station (ISS) increasing the risk of collision were deeply worrying, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

“As such, this ASAT test should be a matter of grave concern for the international community not only in terms of generation of space debris but also because of its ramifications for long term sustainability of peaceful space activities.



“It would also be amiss to ignore the military dimension of such actions and its implications on the global and regional peace, stability and security,” it read.

Pakistan, being a strong proponent of non-militarisation of outer space, will continue to work with like-minded countries to address gaps in the international legal regime governing the exploration and use of outer space with a view to ensuring that no one threatens peaceful activities and applications of space technologies for socio-economic development, the FO maintained.



In the absence of strong legal instruments, other states could also follow suit by demonstrating such capabilities.

Earlier in the day, the head of NASA 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.

Jim Bridenstine was addressing NASA employees five days after India shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test to prove it was among the world’s advanced ‘space powers’.