Russian Cosmonauts Ordered to Move to Soyuz Spacecraft Because of Space Debris Threat to ISS

The space debris is expected to pass ISS at 07:06 GMT.

Russian cosmonauts were permitted to leave the Soyuz ship, in which they hid from space debris. Сosmonauts have observed no signs of ISS contact with the 'space junk' and pressure is normal, according to a conversation between the crew and ground personnel.

Earlier, Russian cosmonauts were ordered to move in to the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, since a dangerous piece of space debris is projected to fly past the International Space Station.

"According to the mission control centre in Houston, in the near future the station will enter the corridor of possible encounter with a space debris object. According to onboard instructions, if the ISS approaches a potentially dangerous object, the crew should be in the spacecraft at the time of the encounter," Roscosmos said.

Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as American astronaut Mark Thomas Vande moved to the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft in anticipation of the International Space Station flying past satellite debris.

"The Soyuz crew is in the ship, the hatches are closed, we are ready," said a specialist at the Mission Control Center near Moscow to Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov.

Earlier, the Mission Control Centre carried out a manoeuvre for the International Space Station (ISS) to avoid Chinese satellite wreckage.

The correction was designed to avoid a fragment of the Fengyun-1C spacecraft, which, according to the ballistic service, would otherwise approach within 1,969 feet of the ISS.