Less than 20 meters separated the two satellites in Earth orbit on Wednesday, otherwise they would have collided. One of them is Russian, retired, the other American, functioning, but without the ability to maneuver. If the collision occurred, 2,000 to 7,000 pieces of debris could be created, threatening at least other satellites in orbit. The situation once again highlighted the problem of space debris.
California-based low-orbiting object tracking company LeoLabs has reported that two satellites nearly collided this week: NASA’s Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Mission (TIMED) satellite and Russia’s defunct Kosmos 2221 satellite.
According to NASA, „the dead Russian spy satellite Kosmos 2221 came uncomfortably close to the TIMED spacecraft studying Earth’s atmosphere at 7:34 a.m. CET on Wednesday, February 28.“
The satellites flew past each other extremely close at a height of about 608 kilometers above the Earth – apparently only 17 meters, according to data from the company LeoLabs. At the same time, both devices move at a speed of around 28,000 km/h.
It was their closest flyby anyway, and now their expected orbits around Earth are drifting apart, NASA wrote after confirming the objects had finally passed safely.
The agency warned in advance about the close flyby and the potential risk of a crash.
