International Space Station Abruptly Shifted After Thrusters on Russian Craft Fired Unexpectedly

By Roxana Ion

Posted on October 17, 2021

On Friday, the International Space Station was surprisingly shifted, but fortunately, no one on board was in danger, according to a statement from Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. The station lost positioning control at 5:13 AM ET. 

The accident happened because of a prolonged test firing of thrusters on Russia’s Soyuz MS–18 spacecraft. According to The Verge, control of the station was retrieved from the ground approximately 30 minutes after the accident. 

However, it’s now the first time this kind of an accident happened, as in July, thrusters on Russia’s Nauka module fired “uncontrollably,” and shifted the ISS by about 45 degrees and it happened with a ship that is supposed to come back to Earth early this Sunday morning. 

According to TASS news agency, the spacecraft, carrying Novitsky, Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko, safely arrived in Kazakhstan on Sunday.

International Space Station Abruptly Shifted After Thrusters on Russian Craft Fired Unexpectedly