Russian spacecraft, US satellite nearly collided in shockingly close call that ‘really scared’ NASA

On October 21, 2021, the Russian Cosmos 2543 satellite and an American Iridium Communications Company satellite came dangerously close to colliding in orbit. The incident occurred in the geostationary orbit, which is approximately 22,300 miles above the Earth's equator. This region is highly congested with satellites due to its desirable position for providing global coverage.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy made this revelation during a live event at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference held on October 25, 2021. She described the situation as a "very close call" and stated that the two satellites had come within "less than 10 meters" (approximately 33 feet) of each other. This is an incredibly small distance in space and is significantly closer than the length of a school bus.

The Russian Cosmos 2543 is a military communications satellite, while the Iridium Communications Company satellite is part of a constellation providing global mobile communications services. According to NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) near-real-time collision avoidance system called the Space-Based Surveillance and Tracking (SBST) system, they identified the potential collision risk and alerted both Russia and the United States.

The SBST system uses data from various sources, including ground-based and on-orbit sensors, to monitor and predict potential collisions between objects in Earth's orbit. It is a crucial tool for maintaining the safety and sustainability of the increasingly congested space environment.

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) confirmed the close approach and stated that they had taken corrective action to adjust Cosmos 2543's orbit to avoid any potential collision. Iridium Communications also acknowledged the incident and expressed gratitude for the collaboration between NASA and Roscosmos in preventing a potentially catastrophic event.

This near-collision serves as a reminder of the importance of international cooperation and advanced technology in maintaining the safety and sustainability of the space environment. It also highlights the need for continued investment in collision avoidance systems and technologies to ensure the safe operation of the growing number of satellites in Earth's orbit.