On Tuesday, NASA conducted an orbital shift of the International Space Station (ISS) to avoid a piece of space debris.

The maneuver, which lasted 5 minutes and 31 seconds, raised the ISS’s orbit to create more distance from debris from a defunct satellite that broke up in 2015.

The debris would have come within 2.5 miles of the station.

This was the first debris-avoidance maneuver of the year and the 39th since the ISS’s launch in 1998.

The maneuver had no impact on station operations or the upcoming Progress 90 spacecraft launch, NPR has reported.

Space debris poses risks to spacecraft and astronauts, with even small pieces capable of causing significant damage.

Written by B.C. Begley