A chunk of Chinese satellite almost hit the International Space Station. They dodged it – but the space junk problem is getting worse

  • Written by: Mark Rigby, Adjunct Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland
A chunk of Chinese satellite almost hit the International Space Station. They dodged it – but the space junk problem is getting worseNASA / Boeing

Earlier this week, the International Space Station (ISS) was forced to maneouvre out of the way of a potential collision with space junk. With a crew of astronauts and cosmonauts on board, this required an urgent change of orbit on November 11.

Over the station’s 23-year orbital lifetime, there have been about 30 close encounters...

Read more: A chunk of Chinese satellite almost hit the International Space Station. They dodged it – but the sp...