Chinese Rocket Explodes in Space, Scatters Vast Debris Cloud

A recent incident in space has led to the formation of a large debris field around Earth, following the malfunction of a Chinese rocket. On August 6, the Chinese Long March 6A rocket launched, successfully deploying 18 satellites into low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 miles (800 kilometers). However, shortly after its mission, the rocket’s upper stage disintegrated, dispersing over 300 trackable pieces of debris across its orbit, as confirmed by the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) in a statement on August 8. There are also numerous smaller, untracked fragments believed to be circulating.

USSPACECOM has reassured the public that this debris does not currently pose a direct threat to space operations. They continue to monitor the situation closely, conducting regular assessments to ensure the continued safety and sustainability of activities in space.

The satellites launched are part of a broader initiative to establish a megaconstellation of over 14,000 communications satellites in low Earth orbit, known as the Qianfan (“Thousand Sails”) broadband network.

Slingshot Aerospace, a space situational awareness and data analytics company, has detected this debris along the orbit previously taken by the rocket and the satellites. The firm warns that the debris presents a considerable risk to satellite constellations operating below this altitude, given their potential to cause further collisions in space.

Images from Slingshot’s Horus optical fences, which monitor low Earth orbit, have shown bright, unexpected objects traveling in the same path as the deployed G60 satellites and the rocket body, indicating the spread of debris.

The presence of space debris is a significant concern, particularly with the ongoing expansion of satellite networks. Audrey Schaffer, vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot, expressed concerns to Space.com about the potential cumulative impact of debris from subsequent launches in this megaconstellation project. She highlighted the long-term dangers posed by space debris, which can persist for several years and travel at speeds up to 27,000 km per hour, risking catastrophic collisions with spacecraft.

This incident marks the second known occasion where a Long March 6A rocket has been involved in creating space debris. The first occurred in November 2022, after deploying the Yunhai-3 weather satellite, resulting in hundreds of pieces of debris. By January 2023, NASA’s “Orbital Debris Quarterly News” reported that 533 trackable debris fragments had been catalogued, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by space debris in low Earth orbit.