SpaceX?s ?False Alarm? Encounter with an Unknown Object: An Analysis of the Latest FOIA Release from SPACECOM

In April 2021, during the Crew-2 mission’s historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule was briefly thought to be on a collision course with an unidentified object. NASA’s preliminary assessment categorized this event as a potential conjunction, prompting astronauts to suit up for extra safety. However, after a detailed investigation, it was labeled a false alarm, sparking intrigue about the nature of the incident and raising questions on the identification and tracking of space debris.

Now, newly released documents rom Space Command (SPACECOM), obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request originally filed by The Black Vault, offer a deeper insight into the complexity and urgency of this event. Communications between NASA officials, the U.S. Space Force, and SpaceX reveal the scramble to understand and respond to the potential hazard. The detailed internal emails and operational reports included in the release show that the initial warning stemmed from an analyst satellite that remained in the system after the Crew-2 capsule’s launch.