JSpOC Monitoring Out-of-Control Satellite

The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., continues to monitor an “out-of-control” Russian satellite, which could re-enter the atmosphere within two weeks, reported the Washington Free Beacon. It was determined the unmanned Space Station resupply cargo craft, known as “Progress-M 27M,” was in trouble around 3 a.m. on April 28, according to the report. Igor Komarov, director of the Russian space agency, said it’s not clear why the $51 million spacecraft, which launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 28, malfunctioned. It was carrying food and fuel for astronauts on the Space Station, reported the Free Beacon. Although US military commanders are aware of the “potential threat posed by the spacecraft,” a defense official told the publication there were “no immediate plans to shoot the craft down before it enters the atmosphere,” which is expected to occur around 1:30 p.m. on May 9.