Two large pieces of space debris in Earth's orbit almost collided on January 27, which could lead to the formation of thousands of new fragments. " com.

The possibility of a collision was announced by LeoLabs analysts. According to them, two fragments of space debris passed at a distance of only six meters from each other..

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While they didn't collide, analysts say they were close to a " As more space debris appears in low Earth orbit, such collisions become more likely.. And this, potentially, could pose a threat to the International Space Station and the satellites that orbit here..

According to LeoLabs, an SL-8 rocket body and Kosmos 2361, a failed Russian spy satellite designed to intercept electronic signals such as radio communications or radar transmissions, nearly collided.. Kosmos-2361 was launched in 1998, and SL-8 is the US Department of Defense designation for the Soviet Kosmos-3 family of missiles, which first entered service in 1964 and continued in use until 2009.

Analysts of the company note that the collision almost happened in a particularly dangerous zone at an altitude of 950-1050 kilometers from the Earth, where the possibility of collisions is most likely.. There are approximately 160 SL-8 rocket bodies together, as well as 160 satellites that were launched about 20 years ago..

Recall that in December, NASA had to postpone the exit of its astronauts into outer space, because of a piece of space debris that came dangerously close to the ISS.. It was a fragment of the Fregat upper stage, which flew at a distance of only 400 meters from the station.