With space debris threats on the rise, the International Space Station (ISS) recently executed a precise avoidance maneuver. NASA's continuous tracking ensured the identified object posed minimal risk.
The European Space Agency (ESA) tracks over 34,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm orbiting Earth, endangering satellites, the ISS, and even Mars missions. Reuters reported on November 12, 2021, that NASA maneuvered the ISS to evade one such fragment.
This timely action preceded SpaceX's Crew-3 mission, securing safe docking for astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer (photo below). NASA's trajectory monitoring enabled meticulous preparation.
Roscosmos supported the effort by firing Progress MS-18 freighter thrusters for exactly 361 seconds, shifting the ISS clear of the debris path. Cataloged as 35114 (1999-025DKS), it stems from China's 2007 anti-satellite missile test on the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which generated 3,537 debris pieces. Over 2,700 remain in orbit today.
In May 2021, NASA confirmed debris struck the ISS's Canadarm2 robotic arm, damaging a small section of its boom and thermal blanket. Though operations persist, this highlights the critical need to clear near-Earth space of junk.
