Incident: Software Glitch Causes International Space Station Out-of-Control Incident

Published Date: 2021-07-30

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened on July 29, 2021 [116654, 116679]. 2. The incident occurred on July 29, 2021, as reported in the articles published on July 30, 2021 [116654, 116679].
System 1. Nauka module's software system [116654, 117505] 2. ISS's attitude control system [116654, 118258] 3. Nauka module's engines control system [116679]
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident on the International Space Station was caused by a software glitch and possible lapse in human attention, as stated by Russian space officials and NASA [116654, 117505]. 2. The malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, which led to the incident, was attributed to a software glitch by the Russian space agency Roscosmos [117505]. 3. The incident occurred as the station's batteries were being recharged, leading to fire and smoke alarms going off in the Russian-built Zvezda module, as reported by Roscosmos [118586].
Impacted Organization 1. The International Space Station (ISS) [116654, 118258, 117505, 116679] 2. NASA [116654, 118258, 116679] 3. Russian space agency Roscosmos [116654, 118258, 117505, 116679]
Software Causes 1. A software glitch and possible lapse in human attention were to blame for throwing the International Space Station out of control [116654]. 2. A short-term software failure led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal, causing a modification of the orientation of the complex [117505]. 3. The malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, was attributed to the engines having to work with residual fuel in the craft [116679].
Non-software Causes 1. Possible lapse in human attention was mentioned as a cause of the failure incident [116654, 117505]. 2. Human inattentiveness and relaxation after successful docking were highlighted as factors that could have contributed to the incident [116654, 117505]. 3. The malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module was attributed to having to work with residual fuel in the craft [116679].
Impacts 1. The software glitch and possible lapse in human attention led to the International Space Station being thrown out of control, causing it to pitch out of its normal flight position [116654, 116679]. 2. The incident resulted in the ISS moving out of attitude by 45 degrees, or one-eighth of a complete circle, and then performing 1.5 backflips before regaining its original position [118258]. 3. The malfunction prompted NASA to postpone the launch of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule on an uncrewed test flight to the space station [116679]. 4. The software failure incident caused a "tug of war" between the Nauka module and the space station, leading to a loss of attitude control and a need for ground-based flight teams to restore the station's orientation [116679]. 5. Communication with the crew was lost twice for several minutes during the emergency, but the crew members were never in immediate danger [116654, 116679]. 6. The incident raised concerns about the safety and stability of the space station, with NASA officials working to regain control and stabilize the station [116679].
Preventions 1. Improved software testing and quality assurance processes could have potentially prevented the software failure incident. By conducting more thorough testing, including stress testing and scenario testing, potential glitches or bugs could have been identified and addressed before the module was docked to the International Space Station [116679, 117505]. 2. Enhanced training and procedures for mission controllers and ground-based flight teams could have helped in preventing the software failure incident. This includes ensuring that all personnel involved are well-prepared to handle unexpected situations and respond effectively to anomalies during critical operations [116654, 117505]. 3. Implementing stricter protocols and checks for software commands could have been a preventive measure. By having additional layers of verification and authorization for critical commands, the risk of accidental activation of thrusters or other critical systems could have been reduced [116679, 117505]. 4. Continuous monitoring and oversight of software systems could have helped in detecting any anomalies or potential issues before they escalate into critical failures. Regular system checks and real-time monitoring of software behavior could have provided early warnings of any impending software glitches [116679, 117505].
Fixes 1. The software failure incident involving the Nauka module on the International Space Station could be fixed by addressing the software glitch that led to the inadvertent firing of the module's engines, causing the station to pitch out of its normal flight position [116654, 117505]. 2. To prevent similar incidents in the future, thorough analysis and debugging of the software controlling the Nauka module's engines are necessary to ensure that direct commands are correctly implemented and that such malfunctions do not occur again [116654, 117505]. 3. Implementing stricter protocols and procedures to verify and validate software commands before execution could help prevent human errors or lapses in attention that may contribute to software failures like the one experienced with the Nauka module [116654, 117505]. 4. Continuous monitoring and oversight of software systems on the International Space Station, along with prompt response and corrective actions in case of software failures, are essential to maintaining the safety and stability of the orbiting outpost [116654, 117505, 118586].
References 1. Russian space officials, including Vladimir Solovyov and Dmitry Rogozin, from Roscosmos [116654, 117505, 118586] 2. NASA officials, including Joel Montalbano and Steve Stich [116679, 117505] 3. Flight director Zebulon Scoville from NASA [118258] 4. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas [116679] 5. Russian state-owned news agency RIA [116679] 6. TASS news agency [116679]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The incident involving the software glitch that caused the International Space Station to be thrown out of control was attributed to a software failure on the Nauka module, delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos [116679]. This incident highlights a software failure within the same organization, Roscosmos. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: There is no specific mention in the provided articles about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident occurring due to the development phases: - The software glitch that caused the International Space Station to be thrown out of control was attributed to a short-term software failure on the Nauka module, leading to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines [116654, 117505]. - The malfunction of the Nauka module's jets occurred during post-docking "reconfiguration" procedures, indicating a failure introduced during the development or system updates of the module [116679]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to the operation phases: - The incident involving the Nauka module's thrusters misfiring and causing the ISS to move out of attitude was a result of the operation of the module after it had docked with the space station [118258]. - The crew aboard the ISS activated air filters and returned to their "night rest" after the incident, indicating operational procedures were followed to address the software failure during operation [118586].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system (a) within_system: - The software glitch that occurred on the Nauka module led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, causing a modification of the orientation of the International Space Station (ISS) as a whole [116654]. - The malfunction of the Nauka module's jets caused the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position, leading to a loss of attitude control for over 45 minutes [116679]. - The software failure on the Nauka module resulted in the inadvertent reignition of the jet thrusters, throwing the ISS briefly out of control [116679]. (b) outside_system: - The mishap involving the Nauka module was attributed to a software glitch and a possible lapse in human attention [116654]. - The incident with the Nauka module was described as a tug of war between the two modules as NASA struggled to regain control of the ISS, indicating external factors contributing to the failure [116679]. - The software failure on the Nauka module led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented, suggesting a human factor could have been involved in the incident [116654].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software glitch that led to the incident was attributed to a short-term software failure on the Nauka module, causing a direct command to be mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal, resulting in a modification of the orientation of the space station [116654]. - The malfunction of the Nauka module's jets that caused the space station to pitch out of its normal flight position was described as an unexpected drift in the station's orientation, followed by a loss of attitude control, which lasted over 45 minutes [116679]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, mentioned that human inattentiveness could have been involved in the incident, suggesting that there was some euphoria and relaxation among the crew after the successful docking, potentially contributing to the mishap [116654]. - A senior official in the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Solovyov, stated that a possible lapse in human attention led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, resulting in the modification of the orientation of the space station [117505].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident involving the International Space Station being thrown out of control was attributed to a software glitch and a possible lapse in human attention, which led to the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reigniting its jet thrusters after docking, causing the station to pitch out of its normal flight position [116654]. - The malfunction that caused the ISS to move out of attitude by 45 degrees, or one-eighth of a complete circle, was later corrected to be closer to 540 degrees, resulting in the station performing backflips and requiring a forward flip to regain its original position. This incident occurred due to the misfiring of Nauka's jet thrusters [118258]. - The incident where fire and smoke alarms went off at the Russian segment of the ISS was reported to have occurred as the station's batteries were being recharged, leading to the crew activating air filters and returning to their "night rest" once the air quality was back to normal. This incident was hardware-related as it took place in the Russian-built Zvezda module [118586]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software glitch on the Nauka module was identified as a contributing factor to the incident where the module's engines were mistakenly activated, leading to a modification of the orientation of the space station. This software failure was mentioned as a direct command mistakenly implemented due to the glitch [116654]. - The incident involving the Nauka module firing its thrusters after docking, causing the ISS to move out of control, was attributed to a short-term software failure that led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal. This software failure was acknowledged by Russian space officials [117505]. - The malfunction that caused the ISS to pitch out of its normal flight position, leading to a "spacecraft emergency," was attributed to a software glitch on the Nauka module. The incident involved a struggle to regain control of the space station due to the software-related issue [116679].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the International Space Station (ISS) was non-malicious. The incident was attributed to a software glitch and a possible lapse in human attention, leading to the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reigniting its jet thrusters after docking to the space station. This caused the entire orbital outpost to pitch out of its normal flight position, resulting in a loss of attitude control over the station for 45 minutes [116654, 117505, 118258, 116679]. (b) The incident was not reported to be malicious, but rather a result of a combination of software glitch and human error. The Russian space agency Roscosmos mentioned that a short-term software failure led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, causing the orientation modification of the complex as a whole [116654, 117505].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions (a) poor_decisions: The software failure incident related to the International Space Station (ISS) being thrown out of control was attributed to a possible lapse in human attention and human inattentiveness, indicating that poor decisions or human errors may have been contributing factors to the failure [116654, 117505]. (b) accidental_decisions: The incident involving the ISS being thrown out of control was also described as a software glitch that led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented, resulting in the activation of the module's engines for withdrawal, which caused the mishap. This suggests that accidental decisions or unintended consequences played a role in the software failure incident [116654, 117505].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development_incompetence: - The software glitch that led to the incident on the International Space Station was attributed to a short-term software failure and a possible lapse in human attention [116654]. - The incident was described as a failure caused by a software glitch and a direct command mistakenly implemented due to a short-term software failure [117505]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The incident on the International Space Station was described as a software glitch and a possible lapse in human attention, indicating an accidental nature of the failure [116654]. - The mishap involving the Nauka module firing its thrusters accidentally was attributed to a software glitch and a direct command mistakenly implemented due to a short-term software failure [117505].
Duration temporary From the provided articles: (a) The software failure incident related to the International Space Station (ISS) being thrown out of control due to a software glitch was temporary. The incident was caused by a short-term software failure that led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented, resulting in the module's engines being turned on incorrectly [Article 116654]. The malfunction prompted NASA to postpone the launch of Boeing's Starliner capsule on an uncrewed test flight [Article 116679]. (b) The software failure incident related to the ISS experiencing fire and smoke alarms in the Russian segment was temporary. The incident occurred as the station's batteries were being recharged, and the crew activated air filters to address the issue [Article 118586]. This incident was not directly related to the previous software glitch that caused the ISS to be thrown out of control.
Behaviour crash, omission, timing, value, other (a) crash: The software glitch on the Russian research module Nauka caused the International Space Station to lose attitude control, leading to a brief period where the station was pitching out of alignment at a significant rate [116654]. (b) omission: The software failure on the Nauka module led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal, causing a modification of the orientation of the space station [116654]. (c) timing: The software glitch on the Nauka module caused a direct command to be mistakenly implemented, leading to the engines being turned on at an incorrect time, resulting in a modification of the orientation of the space station [117505]. (d) value: The software failure on the Nauka module resulted in a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, causing a modification of the orientation of the space station [117505]. (e) byzantine: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident exhibiting byzantine behavior in the provided articles. (f) other: The software failure incident on the Nauka module was attributed to a short-term software failure, leading to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, resulting in a modification of the orientation of the space station [117505].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception sensor, actuator, processing_unit, embedded_software (a) sensor: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by sensor error - The incident involving the International Space Station (ISS) being thrown out of control was caused by jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka inadvertently reigniting a few hours after docking, leading to a loss of attitude control [116654]. - An unexpected drift in the station's orientation was first detected by automated ground sensors during the incident [116679]. (b) actuator: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by actuator error - The malfunction was prompted by the Nauka module's jets inexplicably restarting, causing the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position [116679]. - Flight teams on the ground managed to restore the space station's orientation by activating thrusters on another module of the orbiting platform [116679]. (c) processing_unit: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by processing error - A software glitch and possible lapse in human attention were to blame for the mishap involving the Nauka module [116505]. - The Russian space agency Roscosmos mentioned a short-term software failure that led to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines, causing modification of the orientation of the complex [116505]. (d) network_communication: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by network communication error - There is no specific mention of network communication errors contributing to the software failure incident in the provided articles. (e) embedded_software: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by embedded software error - The incident involving the Nauka module was attributed to a software glitch, leading to a direct command being mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines [116505]. - Roscosmos mentioned that the process of transferring the Nauka module from flight mode to 'docked with ISS' mode was underway, indicating a software-related transition [116679].
Communication link_level (a) The failure was related to the communication layer of the cyber physical system that failed at the link level. The incident involved a software glitch that caused the jet thrusters on the Russian research module Nauka to inadvertently reignite a few hours after docking to the International Space Station, leading to the entire orbital outpost pitching out of its normal flight position [116654]. The malfunction prompted a "tug of war" between the Nauka module and another module of the space station, resulting in a loss of attitude control and a need to activate thrusters on another module to restore stability [116679]. (b) The failure was not explicitly related to the connectivity level in the articles provided.
Application TRUE The software failure incident related to the application layer of the cyber physical system that failed with contributing factors introduced by bugs, operating system errors, unhandled exceptions, and incorrect usage is evident in the incident involving the Russian research module Nauka on the International Space Station (ISS) as reported in [Article 116654]. The incident was attributed to a software glitch and a possible lapse in human attention, leading to the activation of the module's engines for withdrawal due to a direct command mistake. Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, mentioned that there was a human factor involved, possibly due to relaxation and euphoria after the successful docking, which led to the software failure and subsequent activation of the engines. The incident caused the ISS to lose attitude control and pitch out of its normal flight position, requiring ground-based flight teams to intervene and stabilize the station.

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident described in the articles is primarily related to the delay in activities and potential harm to the International Space Station (ISS) and its crew members. 1. Delay: - The software glitch caused the International Space Station to be thrown briefly out of control, leading to a delay in normal operations [Article 116679]. - The malfunction prompted NASA to postpone the planned launch of Boeing's Starliner capsule on an uncrewed test flight to the space station [Article 116679]. - The incident caused a delay in the crew's activities, as they had to work to regain stability and restore the station's proper alignment [Article 116654]. 2. Harm: - The malfunction of the Nauka module's thrusters caused the ISS to pitch out of its normal flight position, potentially putting the crew members at risk [Article 116679]. - The incident led to a loss of attitude control over the station for a period of time, which could have posed a danger to the crew [Article 116654]. Therefore, the primary consequences of the software failure incident were delays in operations and potential harm to the ISS and its crew members.
Domain knowledge (a) The software failure incident was related to the space industry, specifically affecting the International Space Station (ISS) [116654, 118258, 117505, 118586, 116679].

Sources

Back to List