Astronauts on the Shenzhou 17 mission performed two successful spacewalks outside the Tiangong space station to repair damage caused by a collision with space debris. The incident led to a loss of power for the Tiangong, but China has announced plans to strengthen measures to handle space debris after the incident.
The Thien Cung station sustained damage to its solar battery following the collision with space debris, which was successfully repaired by astronauts. The CMSA, China’s manned space agency, announced that they have taken steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. The agency has also increased their efforts in monitoring and forecasting orbits accurately and reducing false alarm rates.
The increasing amount of space debris from human activities is a growing concern, with over 43,000 tracked objects as of April 2024 and more than 7,500 satellites in orbit as of May 2023. To address this issue, the Thien Cung station has been adjusting its position to avoid collisions with space debris while China enhances its ability to forecast orbits accurately and reduce false alarm rates.
In order to protect the safety and operation of space stations in orbit, future measures include monitoring them with high-resolution cameras, assigning reinforcement tasks during spacewalks for the Shenzhou 18 crew, and installing equipment that increases resilience against space debris. These proactive steps aim to ensure that astronauts can operate safely in the face of increasing threats from outer space.