International Space Station
Context:
• Western sanctions against Russia could cause the International Space Station to crash, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos warned, calling for the punitive measures to be lifted.
About the ISS:
• The International Space Station is a modular space station in low Earth orbit.
• It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.
• The ownership and use of the space station are established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
• The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields.
• The station is divided into two sections: the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is operated by Russia, while the United States Orbital Segment (USOS) is run by the United States as well as by the other states. The Russian segment includes six modules. The US segment includes ten modules, whose support services are distributed 76.6% for NASA, 12.8% for JAXA, 8.3% for ESA and 2.3% for CSA.
What is Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?
• Low-Earth orbit (often known as LEO) encompasses Earth-centered orbits with an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi) or less.
• For the purposes of the Commercial Use Policy, low-Earth orbit is considered the area in Earth orbit near enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communication, observation and resupply.
• A low Earth orbit requires the lowest amount of energy for satellite placement.
• It provides high bandwidth and low communication latency. Satellites and space stations in LEO are more accessible for crew and servicing.
Source: THE HINDU
