International Space Station adjusts orbit to evade debris from Russian missile test

The International Space Station, last week, was forced to adjust its orbit in order to avoid space debris generated from the anti-satellite missiles test conducted by Russia last November. The orbit-changing manoeuvre was performed by Russia itself as it used the Progress MS-20 spacecraft docked outside the ISS to steer the orbital outpost away from the approaching danger. "I confirm that at 22.03 Moscow time, the engines of the Russian Progress MS-20 transport cargo ship carried out an unscheduled manoeuvre to avoid a dangerous approach of the International Space Station with a fragment of the Kosmos-1408 spacecraft”, Rogozin wrote in one of his Telegram posts. 

(Image: Telegram/@Dmitry Rogozin)

The satellite Cosmos 1408 destroyed by Russia was a soviet-era defunct object and the missile strike resulted in a cloud of debris that threatened the life of astronauts inside the ISS and even the space station itself. The grave situation had even forced the astronauts to take refuge in docked spacecraft outside the ISS. Notably, this is the second time Roscosmos performed a course-correcting manoeuvre ever since it invaded Ukraine and announced ending ISS operations. Prior to this, Rogozin had announced raising the space station's orbit in late April, to evade a cloud of space junk. 

The US calls for ban on anti-satellite weapons

Considering the risks posed by anti-satellite weapons to the in-orbit assets, US Vice President Kamala Harris, in her address at California's Vandenberg Space Force Base in April urged nations to ban the use of anti-sat (ASAT) weapons. Emphasising the US' decision of a unilateral ban on ASAT weapons, Harris had said that this is necessary to prevent the increasing amount of space debris in the low-Earth orbit and ensure the safety of the space station and in-orbit satellites. 

As for Roscosmos' cooperation in space, Rogozin has already announced that Russia will exit the space station after 2024 owing to the economic sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Currently, Roscosmos is preparing missions to send astronauts from Belarus to space in 2023 on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin who wants to strengthen ties with its most trusted ally in the space sector.