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ISS to change orbit to avoid space debris

Specialists of the Roscosmos state corporation continue to monitor this situation

MOSCOW, September 12. /TASS/. The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) will be adjusted to ensure that it avoids a collision with a US spacecraft, Roscosmos said on Saturday.

"On Monday, September 14, 2020, at 02:23 Moscow time, the International Space Station is predicted to approach the American BRICSat-2 satellite, which has turned into so-called ‘space debris’," the state corporation noted.

"The evasion maneuver may be scheduled from 00:00 to 01:00 Moscow time on September 14, 2020. Specialists of the Roscosmos state corporation continue to monitor this situation," the corporation said.

BRICSat-2, an experimental communication satellite operated by the US Navy, was launched into orbit in 2019 by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, Roscosmos noted.

The state corporation stated that the Russian side "has repeatedly drawn the attention of partners to new threats in outer space that arise in connection with the creation of low-orbit satellite constellations, and proposes to develop the necessary interaction regulations.".