Russia Blames Software Glitch After Space Station Briefly Thrown out of Control

Russia Blames Software Glitch After Space Station Briefly Thrown out of Control
The Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen docked to the International Space Station (ISS) next to next to Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on July 29, 2021. Oleg Novitskiy/Roscosmos/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

MOSCOW—A software glitch, and possible lapse in human attention, were to blame for throwing the International Space Station out of control, but work was proceeding to activate a newly attached module at the centre of the mishap, Russian space officials said on Friday.

Jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reignited on Thursday a few hours after it had docked to the space station, causing the entire orbital outpost to pitch out of its normal flight position some 250 miles above the Earth with seven crew members aboard.