The crew of seven on the International Space Station urgently needed to take shelter in a spacecraft docked at the International Space Station, as space debris posed a potential threat due to a satellite hit test by Russia.
After Russia shot down and destroyed a disused satellite in space, astronauts aboard the International Space Station hid in the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Soyuz spacecraft.
The satellite hit test was denounced by a US State Department spokesperson last Monday. “The Russian Federation recklessly shot down one of its satellites with a missile,” Ned Price told reporters, adding: “Such trials increase the risk for astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as other human spaceflight activities.”
The cloud of debris from the test may be similar to the cloud left behind by a Chinese weapons test in 2007 that spent years in low Earth orbit. Just last week, the International Space Station had to maneuver to avoid colliding with a piece of debris floating in space because of this test, which was carried out in 2007.
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