DEBRIS

HRC MONOBLOCK CAMERA

ISS-Released Russian Science Hardware · Roscosmos

A piece of Russian scientific hardware now drifting in its own orbit after being detached from the exterior of the International Space Station. On October 16, 2025, Roscosmos cosmonauts Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev exited the ISS and retrieved this HRC (High Resolution Camera) monoblock — part of a compact radio-optical detector system mounted on the station's exterior to test Earth observation and ecological monitoring technology. After removal during the spacewalk, the unit was released from the ISS and catalogued as a separate orbiting object. It is now slowly descending, losing altitude to atmospheric drag until it re-enters. A piece of a telescope, orbiting alone, watching the Earth it was designed to photograph.