Space station astronauts forced to shelter as Russian satellite breaks into more than 100 pieces

ISS Crew Forced to , Take Shelter , After Russian Satellite Breaks Apart. 'The Independent' reports that astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) took shelter due to the danger of debris from a broken up Russian satellite. Crews aboard the ISS were ordered to board their respective spacecraft in case debris struck and damaged the orbital laboratory. According to experts, the ever-increasing number of satellites in orbit around Earth has magnified the risk of collision and other potential problems for space crews. It remains unclear what caused the RESURS-P1 Russian Earth Observation satellite to break apart. . According to NASA's Space Station office, the event occurred near the space station, prompting astronauts to take shelter in their spacecraft for about an hour. . Mission Control continued to monitor the path of the debris, and after about an hour, the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations, NASA statement, via X. Space-tracking firm LeoLabs said that U.S. radar detected the decommissioned satellite releasing a cloud of debris in low-Earth orbit late on June 26. . Shortly after 9 p.m. EDT, NASA instructed crews aboard the space station to shelter in their respective spacecraft as a standard precautionary measure after it was informed of a satellite break-up at an altitude near the station, NASA statement, via X. According to U.S. Space Command, the Russian satellite created , "over 100 pieces of trackable debris.". USSPACECOM has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain, U.S. Space Command statement, via 'The Independent'