--- title: "Astronauts Sheltered in Escape Vehicles as Debris Menaced Space Station" description: "Astronauts on board the ISS were forced to shelter inside their respective spacecraft after reports indicated a nearby satellite broke up." date: "2024-06-27" modified: "2024-06-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-astronauts-sheltered-satellite" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "NASA" - "space junk" - "the digest" --- # Astronauts Sheltered in Escape Vehicles as Debris Menaced Space Station ![Astronauts on board the ISS were forced to shelter inside their respective spacecraft after reports indicated a nearby satellite broke up.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Shelter in Place Astronauts on board the International Space Station were instructed to shelter inside their respective spacecraft after reports indicated pieces of a broken-up satellite were headed their way. Specifically, the remains of a derelict spacecraft called Resurs-P 1, a Russian commercial Earth observation satellite that launched in June 2013, were spotted by space junk monitor LeoLabs. "Early indications are that a non-operational Russian spacecraft, Resurs P1 (SATNO 39186), released a number of fragments between 13:05 UTC 26 June and 00:51 UTC 27 June," Leolabs [tweeted]() late Wednesday evening. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. "Mission Control continued to monitor the path of the debris, and after about an hour, the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations," reads an [update]() issued by the station's official X account just over an hour after LeoLabs issued its warning. ## Kessler Syndrome There are three spacecraft docked to the ISS right now: a Rusian Soyuz capsule, a [SpaceX Crew Dragon](), and Boeing's plagued Starliner, which is still [stranded there indefinitely](). It's far from the first time crews have been instructed to shelter inside their spacecraft — and given our increasingly cluttered orbit, it likely won't be the last. Experts have long warned that pieces of space junk can collide with each other, resulting in smaller fragments and worsening the [hazard exponentially](). In November 2021, for instance, crews [had to shelter]() due to a "debris-generating event in outer space," which was likely related to an anti-satellite missile test Russia conducted roughly a day earlier. The [highly controversial test]() involved a retired Russian spacecraft being blown into pieces. Just under a year later, the station had to [swerve yet again]() to dodge the debris. It's unclear what caused the latest satellite to break up within just 30 miles of the space station's altitude. But given the debris field surrounding our planet is [only getting more dense](), it's extremely unlikely to be the last time the aging orbital outpost will have to swerve out of the way before it's [retired in 2030](). **More on the ISS:** *[NASA Hires SpaceX to Destroy the International Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()