Satellite breakup in orbit forces astronauts to take shelter

MIAMI (EFE).— The U.S. space agency has ordered the nine crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) to temporarily take refuge in their capsules, including Boeing’s Starliner, as a precaution due to the breakup of a satellite in low Earth orbit.

The incident occurred while the astronauts were sleeping — at midnight on Wednesday — and lasted just one hour, according to NASA, which did not specify which satellite was damaged.

The astronauts briefly boarded three spacecraft, including Boeing’s Starliner, which has been unable to return to Earth as planned with its two-astronaut crew since June 14 due to helium leaks.

The crew of the space lab’s so-called Expedition 71 were heading to their three ships shortly after 2 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, NASA said on the social network X, when the accident occurred “at an altitude close to that of the station.”

The procedure was a “standard precautionary measure” and the crew has already resumed their duties, according to NASA. “Mission Control continued to monitor the debris path and, after approximately one hour, the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations.”

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