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The International Space Station (ISS) has been forced to change course to avoid the wreckage of a Soviet spy satellite that was shot down by the Russian military seven months ago, the DPA reported.

The engine of the Progress spacecraft, which was docked to the ISS, was turned on to change the trajectory of the space station to avoid a piece of debris from the Cosmos 1408 satellite, according to a Telegram publication by Dmitry Rogozin, head of of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The Russian military shot down a failed Celina-D satellite while testing an anti-satellite weapon on November 15, 2021. 

The United States then criticized the move, warning that fragments of the satellite could threaten the ISS and an international team of astronauts on board.

The ISS maneuvered to avoid the wreckage of an old Japanese missile

When the space station first passed through the debris field, the crew was ordered to put on their spacesuits and enter the ISS's emergency capsule for their own safety.

The Russian military has denied that there is a danger to the ISS.

The Soviet reconnaissance satellite Cosmos 1408 was launched into low Earth orbit in 1982, where it operated for two years and has remained in Earth space ever since.

Currently, three Russians, three Americans and one Italian are on board the ISS, adds BTA.

international space station