By: Serena Zhang

After an old Russian satellite shattered into over 100 pieces, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were forced to shelter.

On Wednesday, June 26, the satellite broke into pieces in outer space. NASA’s Space Station reported that the ISS astronauts sheltered for about an hour before resuming normal activities. With over 180 pieces of the old satellite detected, the U.S Space Command announces there are no immediate threats to nearby working satellites.

“Due to the low orbit of this debris cloud, we estimate it’ll be weeks to months before the hazard has passed,” said US space-tracking company LeoLabs about the Russian satellite in a statement. The Earth observation satellite’s explosions could still pose threats to other satellites. The satellite broke up at the altitude of about 220 miles above Earth, a popular region with thousands of satellites including SpaceX’s Starlink and China’s TianGong space station, currently having three astronauts on board.

However, there are concerns that erruptions like this may cause more problems in the future. Many satellites are crucial for global services peoples’ daily lives like the internet and navigation. There’s a growing issue of defunct satellites becoming space junk.

Approximately 25,000 pieces larger than 4 inches are already orbiting in space from satellite collisions or explosions, prompting worries for future complications.