Emergency occurred amid unconfirmed reports that Russia had carried out an anti-satellite weapon test.
US authorities reported Monday that they were investigating a “debris-generating incident in outer space” after astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were forced to prepare for a possible evacuation of the facility.
The act came amid unconfirmed reports that Russia had carried out an anti-satellite weapon test (ASAT) – a rare Moscow show of force criticized by the space community because of the risk they create for crews in Earth orbit. come down.
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“The United States Space Command is aware of a debris-generating incident in outer space. We are actively working to define the characteristics of the debris field and we will continue to make sure that all space nations have the necessary information to maneuver satellites in the event of an impact, ”said that federal agency.
“We are also in the process of working with … the Department of State and NASA (space agency) on these reports and will provide an update in the near future,” he said.
NASA has not yet commented on the incident, but its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, played down the incident.
“The orbit of the object, which forced the crew today to move towards the spacecraft according to standard procedures, has moved away from the orbit of the ISS. The station is in the green zone ”, assured the Russian agency in its Twitter account.
“Friends, everything is normal with us! We continue to work according to the “space program,” Anton Shkaplerov, current commander of the Moscow space outpost, said in the same network.
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Earlier during the incident, NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer remained afloat on their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for safety, according to a latest report from Spaceflight now.
At the same time, Russian cosmonauts Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei boarded a Soyuz spacecraft on the Russian segment, the outlet added.
Both spacecraft can be used as lifeboats to bring the crew to Earth in an emergency.
The ISS currently has a staff of seven. (I)
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