Space junk punches a hole in International Space Station's robotic arm

The collision came to light on May 12 during a routine inspection of the Canadarm2

Space is no stranger to ‘space junk’ or debris flying about, and anything sent to space by human beings getting hit by one is a calculated risk. Recently, a robotic arm of an International Space Station (ISS) was struck by debris in space, punching a hole of about 5 mm in diameter.

The incident came to light on May 12 during a routine inspection of the Canadarm2, according to a report by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Usually, potential collisions are monitored ‘round the clock with satellites' and the ISS tracks more than 23,000 objects the ‘size of a softball or larger’. However, some space junk is too small to notice.

Read more: 2 Russian crew do spacewalk at International Space Station

The Canadarm2 incident is among the rare times a potential hit goes undetected.

The impact, which took place on a small area of the arm boom, according to the CSA report, was dismissed as seemingly a non-threat upon inspection by the CSA and NASA.

The arm is functioning ‘unaffected’.

Experts from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA worked together to take detailed images of the area and assess the impact, which occurred on one of Canadarm2's boom segments.

The CSA and NASA will continue their assessment of the damage.