A defunct Russian satellite has broken into nearly 200 pieces of debris, forcing astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take emergency shelter for about an hour. This incident has added to the growing amount of space junk orbiting Earth, according to U.S. space agencies.
The Resurs-P1, a Russian Earth observation satellite declared non-operational in 2022, broke up around 10 a.m. Mountain Time (1600 GMT) on Wednesday. The U.S. Space Command, which monitors space debris, reported that the event occurred near the space station’s orbit. Consequently, U.S. astronauts on the ISS were instructed to take refuge in their spacecraft as a precaution.
US Space Command stated that the debris did not pose an immediate threat to other satellites. However, they did confirm that the breakup created “over 100 pieces of trackable debris.” By Thursday afternoon, LeoLabs, a U.S. space-tracking firm, had detected at least 180 pieces of debris from the incident.
This type of debris-generating event is relatively rare but increasingly concerning due to the crowded nature of low Earth orbit. This region is home to thousands of satellites that support essential services such as broadband internet, communications, and navigation.
The debris from the Resurs-P1 breakup is expected to remain a hazard for several weeks to months. The satellite’s breakup occurred at an altitude of approximately 220 miles (355 kilometers), where many active satellites operate.
In 2021, Russia faced strong international criticism after destroying one of its defunct satellites with a ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) missile. This test created thousands of pieces of debris, increasing the risk of collisions in space. Such events raise the possibility of a “Kessler effect,” where collisions generate more debris, leading to further collisions in a cascading chain reaction.
Jonathan McDowell, a space tracker and Harvard astronomer, suggested that the recent breakup of Resurs-P1 might have been caused by a technical failure, such as an explosion from leftover fuel, rather than an ASAT strike. He noted that using such a large satellite as a target for an ASAT test seemed unlikely.
Old satellites typically remain in orbit until they re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, or they are moved to a “graveyard orbit” to minimize collision risks. Resurs-P1 was decommissioned due to equipment failures, and it has been gradually lowering its orbit since then.
The six U.S. astronauts aboard the ISS were alerted by NASA mission control in Houston around 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday) to execute “safe haven” procedures. This protocol involves each astronaut taking shelter in their respective spacecraft in case an emergency departure becomes necessary.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams boarded their Starliner spacecraft, which has been docked at the ISS since June 6 on its first crewed test mission. Three other U.S. astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut took cover in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that brought them to the station in March. The sixth U.S. astronaut joined two remaining cosmonauts in their Soyuz capsule, which has been docked since September of the previous year.
The astronauts emerged from their spacecraft about an hour later and resumed their regular activities on the space station.
The incident has heightened calls from space advocates and legal experts for an international mechanism to manage space traffic. Currently, there is no global system in place to regulate the increasing congestion in Earth’s orbit.
