ISS Astronauts Take Shelter as Russian Satellite Breaks Apart

 A defunct Russian satellite, RESURS-P1, has broken up into over 100 pieces of debris, prompting astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter for about an hour. The incident adds to the growing mass of space junk orbiting Earth, according to U.S. space agencies. The cause of the satellite's breakup, which was declared non-operational in 2022, remains unknown.

Event Details

U.S. Space Command, which monitors orbital debris, reported that the breakup occurred at around 10 a.m. Mountain Time (1600 GMT) on Wednesday. Although the debris cloud did not pose an immediate threat to other satellites, it was near enough to the ISS to require the astronauts to take precautionary measures.

Immediate Response

NASA's Space Station office confirmed that U.S. astronauts on the ISS took shelter in their spacecraft for about an hour. The Russian space agency Roscosmos, which operated the satellite, has not commented on the incident.

Tracking the Debris

The debris, which consists of over 100 trackable pieces, was created at an altitude of approximately 355 km (220 miles) in low-Earth orbit. This region is densely populated with active satellites, including SpaceX's Starlink network and China's satellite constellation housing its astronauts. LeoLabs, a space-tracking company, estimated that the debris cloud would remain a hazard for weeks to months.

Concerns Over Space Debris

Space debris from satellite breakups or collisions is a growing concern. There are about 25,000 pieces of debris larger than four inches (10 cm) in orbit, raising the risk of further collisions. This scenario, known as the Kessler effect, could lead to a cascade of hazardous debris.

In 2021, Russia faced criticism for using a ground-based missile to destroy one of its defunct satellites, creating thousands of debris pieces. The recent breakup of RESURS-P1 occurred near the Plesetsk rocket site, but there is no evidence that a missile strike caused it. Experts like Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astronomer, speculate that the breakup could have been caused by an internal issue, such as leftover fuel igniting.

Managing Decommissioned Satellites

Old satellites typically remain in orbit until they eventually re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up. In some cases, they are moved to a "graveyard orbit" far from Earth to reduce collision risks. RESURS-P1 was decommissioned in 2021 due to equipment failures and has been gradually lowering its altitude, preparing for re-entry.

Astronauts' Safe Haven Procedures

Around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday), NASA mission control in Houston alerted the six U.S. astronauts on the ISS to execute "safe haven" procedures. The astronauts took shelter in their respective spacecraft: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in the Starliner capsule, three other U.S. astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, and the remaining U.S. astronaut with two cosmonauts in their Soyuz capsule. After an hour, they emerged and resumed normal activities.

Future of Space Traffic Management

The incident underscores the urgent need for an international mechanism to manage space traffic and mitigate the risks of satellite collisions and space debris. Currently, no such system exists, highlighting the growing challenges of maintaining safety in increasingly crowded orbital spaces.