QUESTION: The U.S. military is very concerned about a new missile that Russia launched this week. Why this is so significant? We asked @JoAnnePSears Jo-Anne Sears, a former Sr. Advisor to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Follow this thread for the answer. 
ANSWER: "U.S. Space Command announced Russia tested a missile created to kill satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) on April 15th. Disabling or destroying satellites would take away the U.S.’s current advantage in space –
taking out the U.S.’s ability to track adversaries from the safety of space and support communications for troops on the ground, air, and sea.
Purposely destroying satellites would also create a mess with thousands of pieces of orbital debris that could affect human spaceflight and other commercial satellites used for global communications and scientific research.
The direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon used, called the PL-19 Nudol, is not a sophisticated weapon but its creation and use should give all national security experts pause regarding Russia’s intentions in the space domain.
Russia recently launched two satellites (COSMOS 2542 and COSMOS 2543) and conducted maneuvers near a U.S. satellite interpreted by the U.S. Space Command as “irresponsible and potentially threatening.”
Joanne Sears was also a Navy civilian, who worked in the intelligence community. Read more about her here: velocitygr.com/about-us
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