Mission Shakti: Pentagon says space debris from anti-satellite test will burn up in atmosphere

The Pentagon said on Thursday that the space debris from India's A-Sat (anti-satellite) missile test would burn up in the atmosphere.

The Pentagon said it stood by Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan's assessment last week that the debris would eventually burn up in the atmosphere.

Asked on Thursday whether the Pentagon stood by Shanahan's earlier assessment, spokesman Charlie Summers said: "Yes."

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NASA had had a slightly different outlook.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine had said on Monday that more than 400 pieces of orbital debris from the test had been identified — including debris that was travelling above the International Space Station.

Bridenstine said that was a "terrible, terrible thing".

India had conducted its A-Sat test on March 27, shooting down a satellite 300 kms up in space.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing the successful completion of the test which had been dubbed "Mission Shakti"or Strength, said the entire operation had taken three minutes.

He added then that India was now an elite space power. And that after the successful completion of the test, only three other countries — the US, Russia and China — had that capability.

India was the fourth.

(With inputs from Reuters)