Russian Satellite Trash Makes ISS Maneuver For The Second Time

JAKARTA - The International Space Station (ISS) again maneuvers to avoid the debris of a Russian satellite that was destroyed during an anti-satellite test in November 2021.

The action was carried out by astronauts on the ISS yesterday at 20.25 p.m. EDT, by firing boosters at the Russian cargo ship mounted on the station, Progress 81.

The ISS maneuvered for a total of five minutes to avoid shards of debris that were dangerous to the station's occupants.

"This Predefined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) was performed to give the complex (ISS) extra distance from the predicted path of the debris fragment," NASA said.

Due to this precaution, the ISS is at an altitude of 0.2 miles at apogee, which is its furthest point from Earth and 0.8 miles at perigee, its closest point to Earth. The firing of the thrusters does not affect the normal operation of the ISS.

As reported by Space, Wednesday, October 26, the debris came from a Russian anti-satellite missile (ASAT) test conducted on November 15, 2021.

The missile, launched from land to destroy the Soviet satellite known as Cosmos 1408 and has not been operated since the 1980s. The satellite, destroyed at an altitude of 480 km, broke it to more than 1,000 fragments.

The test has drawn widespread criticism from space agencies and space policy experts around the world, resulting in astronauts on the ISS having to take immediate cover. However, Russian officials claim that the US and others have reacted excessively.

The US knows with certainty that fragments that appear at the time of testing and in terms of orbital parameters are not and will not pose any threat to orbital stations, satellites, and space activities, the Russian Ministry of Defense said after receiving various criticisms at the time.

This is not the first time the ISS has avoided the remaining debris from the Russian ASAT test. In June 2022, the space station also suddenly made a similar maneuver to avoid the 1408 Cosmos shards.