In a recent incident, the Thien Cung space station collided with space debris, resulting in damage to its solar battery. The astronauts of the Shenzhou 17 mission successfully repaired the damage through two spacewalks outside the Tiangong station. China has announced plans to strengthen measures to handle space debris after the incident, which led to a loss of power for the Tiangong space station.
The successful spacewalks were announced by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference on April 24. The agency also revealed that it will take more active action in the future to ensure safety against space debris. Xinhua, China’s state news agency, did not specify the origin of the debris that damaged the Thien Cung station. Both micrometeorites and human activity pose a threat to space stations like Thien Cung and the International Space Station (ISS).
The increasing amount of space debris from human activities is a growing concern. As of April 2024, NORAD is tracking over 43,000 space objects, with more than 7,500 satellites in orbit as of May 2023. The Thien Cung station has been adjusting its position to avoid collisions with space debris, while China is enhancing its ability to forecast orbits accurately and reduce the false alarm rate.
In response to this incident, China has taken several proactive steps to protect the safety and operation of space stations in orbit. These include monitoring the station with high-resolution cameras, assigning reinforcement tasks to the Shenzhou 18 crew during spacewalks, and installing equipment to increase resilience against space debris. These measures aim to mitigate risks posed by human activity and micrometeorites on future missions.