Another Russian satellite collapses in orbit, leaving a pile of debris

Як says LeoLabs, a company that monitors objects in space, another old Russian satellite has collapsed in low Earth orbit, leaving behind a pile of space debris.

LeoLabs has detected a debris-generating event in Low Earth Orbit.

Early indications are that a non-operational Russian spacecraft, Resurs P1 (SATNO 39186), released a number of fragments between 13:05 UTC 26 June and 00:51 UTC 27 June.

— LeoLabs (@LeoLabs_Space) June 27, 2024

This time, it is the Resurs P1 Earth observation satellite, which was launched in June 2013 and deactivated in December 2021.

The 6.5-ton satellite was in a 350 × 363 km orbit and broke up into “numerous fragments” between 3:05 UTC on June 26 and 00:51 UTC on June 27, 2024.

The old Russian rusty hardware still in Earth orbit will continue to pose a threat to other countries’ spacecraft.

In February 2024, LeoLabs reported that Russian and US satellites almost collided in orbit.