Reports that SpaceX‘s recently launched capsule carrying four astronauts had a near miss with debris while making its journey to the International Space Center on Friday, were in error, a spokesperson said on Monday.
The Crew Dragon capsule was initially thought to be nearly struck by an accumulation of space junk, dubbed a conjunction, at around 1:43 p.m. as the passengers were preparing to sleep. The crew members were instructed to gear up in their spacesuits.
“For awareness, we have identified a late-breaking possible conjunction with a fairly close miss distance to Dragon,” SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis reportedly told the astronauts. “As such, we do need you to immediately proceed with suit donning and securing yourselves in seats.”
Lt. Col. Erin Dick, a spokeswoman for Space Command, however, said the measures taken resulted from a “reporting error.”
“However, we quickly realized this was a reporting error and that there was never a collision threat because there was no object at risk of colliding with the capsule,” she told the Associated Press.
A spokesperson for SpaceX confirmed the development to the Washington Examiner.
“There was no object at risk of colliding with the crew capsule — rather, it was inaccurate report from U.S. Space Command’s 18th Space Control Squadron which was quickly corrected,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Upon further analysis, 18 SPCS quickly determined the potential conjunction between the Crew-2 capsule and the object was an inaccurate report,” the statement continued. “There was never a collision threat to the Crew-Dragon. Appropriate notifications were made within minutes and the astronauts safely continued their mission. The 18 SPCS continued to track Crew-2’s progress to the ISS to ensure safe arrival.”
SPACEX LAUNCHES ROCKET CARRYING ASTRONAUTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Twenty minutes after the guidance, the crew was able to elude the fictional conjunction, and it later docked at the space station on Saturday without issue.
“Dragon, SpaceX, we have passed TCA with no impact,” Gillis said.
On Friday, the capsule departed from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before 6 a.m. in SpaceX’s second operational mission. The ship transported four people, including two from the United States, one from Japan, and another from France.
3.. 2.. 1.. and liftoff! Endeavour launches once again. Four astronauts from three countries on Crew-2, now making their way to the one and only @Space_Station: pic.twitter.com/WDAl8g7bUK
— NASA (@NASA) April 23, 2021
The astronauts aboard Friday’s launch, Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Thomas Pesquet, and Akihiko Hoshide, joined seven astronauts already aboard the International Space Station. The group is expected to spend six months aboard the station and will not return before Halloween.
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The capsule, named the “Endeavour,” has been used before and highlights SpaceX’s reusability.
SpaceX, which was founded by Elon Musk, touts itself as “the only private company capable of returning a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.”
