On June 27, the International Space Station (ISS) experienced a satellite breaking apart in orbit. The incident occurred at 1:00 a.m. GMT, which is the time zone that the ISS operates in. NASA announced the event and stated that nine astronauts aboard the station quickly moved to three spacecraft following the incident.
Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, moved into Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, while three American astronauts and one Russian astronaut sought refuge in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. The remaining three astronauts moved into the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The astronauts were only in their spacecraft for about an hour before resuming normal operations on the station.
NASA did not identify the satellite, but satellite monitoring company LeoLabs identified a debris event involving a non-functional Russian satellite, Resurs-P1. This event created over 100 pieces of trackable debris. Resurs-P1 was launched in 2013 and had been operating beyond its expected lifespan. The increasing amount of space junk in orbit is becoming a growing concern for agencies like NASA and NORAD.
The ISS may need to move if debris larger than 5 cm enters its orbit to ensure the safety of the station and astronauts. NASA works with the US military to monitor space around the ISS and takes precautions to ensure their safety during incidents like these