The Department of Defense is monitoring a potential collision between NASA’s Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Mission (TIMED) spacecraft and the Russian Cosmos 2221 satellite. The two non-maneuverable orbiting spacecraft are expected to make their closest pass at about 1:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at an altitude of about 373 miles (600 km). Although the spacecraft are expected to miss each other, a collision could result in significant debris generation. NASA and the Department of Defense will continue to monitor the situation.
The TIMED science mission studies the influence of the Sun and of human activity on Earth’s mesosphere and lower thermosphere/ionosphere. The region is a gateway between Earth and space, where the Sun’s energy is first deposited into Earth’s environment.