Source Says ISS Conducted Maneuver to Avoid Fragment of Japan's Rocket Stage

08:15 GMT, 23 September 2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The unknown piece of space debris that the International Space Station (ISS) avoided on Wednesday was, in fact, a fragment of an exploded stage of Japan's H-2A carrier rocket, a source in the space sphere revealed.

Sputnik

"This 'stranger' was object 46477, internationally registered as 2018-084CQ. It is a fragment of the second stage of Japan's H-2A rocket, which exploded in February 2019," the source said.

According to the source, the rocket launched into space six satellites, including Ibuki-2 greenhouse gases observing satellite, back in October 2018.

Source Says ISS Conducted Maneuver to Avoid Fragment of Japan's Rocket Stage

According to data of the US Air Force, available on space-track.org website, the explosion of the second stage of Japan's rocket had led to the emergence of over 75 pieces of debris in space.