Russia's space debris forced ISS to conduct an emergency avoidance maneuver. Due to an unexpected event, was the safety of astronauts and cosmonauts in grave danger?
(Photo : Photo by NASA via Getty Images)
In this handout photo provided by NASA, the Canadarm2 (center) and solar array panel wings on the International Space Station are extended during the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) was docked with the International Space Station August 11, 2007 in Space.
This is not the first time that ISS evaded orbital debris from dead rockets or launch spacecraft parts. In 2021, the giant space station was also forced to change its orbit due to a possible space junk collision.
But, there was one time when the evasive efforts of the International Space Station were not that efficient.
This was seen during the incident in November 2021, when ISS was hit by Chinese space debris; it created a 5mm home in the space station's Canadian-built robot arm.
Russia Space Debris Forces ISS To Conduct Avoidance Maneuver
According to Space.Com's latest report, the latest space debris that the International Space Station dodged came from Russia's Soviet-era Cosmos 1408 satellite.
(Photo : Photo by Paolo Nespoli - ESA/NASA via Getty Images)
In this handout image provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, the International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour orbit Earth during Endeavour's final sortie on May 23, 2011 in Space.
This rocket was actually destroyed by the Russians back in 2021. But, some parts were still orbiting Earth.
Because of this, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, had no choice but to use its Progress 81 cargo ship thrusters, firing them for four minutes and 34 seconds during the Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) operation.
The evasive action of the Russian space agency happened on June 16.
"I confirm that at 22.03 Moscow time, the engines of the Russian Progress MS-20 transport cargo ship carried out an unscheduled maneuver to avoid a dangerous approach of the International Space Station with a fragment of the Kosmos-1408 spacecraft," said Dmitry Rogozin, Roscomos chief, via his official Telegram announcement.
Were Astronauts, Cosmonauts in Any Danger?
NASA said that if the PDAM action was not conducted, the Russian satellite debris would have passed within around a half a mile of the International Space Station.
Although it will not exactly hit the giant orbital laboratory, the efforts made by Roscosmos were still important.
On the other hand, NASA clarified that astronauts and cosmonauts were not put in any danger. The experiments were also unaffected by the sudden avoidance maneuver.
Previously, experts explained what will happen if ISS crashes.
Recently, the alleged Roscosmos ISS separation made the headlines.
For more news updates about the International Space Station, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
