16 Aug 2024 22:45

Roscosmos conducted 16 ISS maneuvers to dodge space rubbish last year - Roscosmos head

SOLNECHNOGORSK, Moscow region. Aug 16 (Interfax) - The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) had to be changed 16 times due to its proximity to space rubbish in 2023, Roscosmos General Director Yury Borisov said.

"We had to change the ISS orbit 16 times last year to avoid a possible collision [with space rubbish]," Borisov said at the Territory of Meanings forum on Friday.

Roscosmos said on August 4, 2021 that the total weight of space rubbish in orbit exceeded 7,000 tonnes. According to the state corporation's data, the automatic system for warning about dangerous situations in near-earth space received three to ten reports on potentially dangerous objects close to Russian spacecraft on a daily basis.

According to official information, the ISS has conducted 362 adjustments of its orbital altitude since the start of the ISS's flight.