Russian Defense Ministry reports successful destruction of defunct Russian satellite on Nov 15

MOSCOW. Nov 16 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the destruction of the Soviet-era Tselina-D satellite in orbit and said that satellite fragments do not and will not endanger space stations and activities.

"The Russian Defense Ministry conducted a successful test on November 15, 2021, as a result of which the defunct Russian satellite Tselina-D, which had been in orbit since 1982, was hit," the ministry said on Tuesday.

"The United States knows for a fact that the fragments did not pose a threat due to the timing of the test and the orbit parameters and will be no threat to space stations, satellites, or space activities in the future," the ministry said.

The fragments have been added to the main catalogue of the domestic space surveillance systems, and monitoring of them began immediately. Monitoring will continue until the fragments are gone.

"Similar trials have been conducted in outer space by the United States, China, and India," the ministry said.