International Space Station swerves to avoid space junk, Russia says

The International Space Station had to adjust its orbit to avoid collision with a piece of debris from a U.S. rocket, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Friday.

"Five minutes ago, the ISS avoided a conjunction with the U.S. space debris, the Pegasus carrier rocket remnants," Rogozin said, according to TASS.

Rogozin had said earlier on Friday that the maneuver to avoid the piece of debris from a U.S. rocket launched in 1994 was planned for 10:58 Moscow time.

The orbit had to be adjusted by the thrusters of the Progress MS-18 space freighter, which is docked to the station.

Earlier this week, NASA postponed a spacewalk, originally scheduled for Tuesday, after receiving a space debris warning for the International Space Station.