China's shocking act causes 'significant risk' in space: 'Really bad'

It's not the first time Chinese actions in space have created a dangerous situation and experts are demanding answers.

Jamie Seidel
·Contributor
·5-min read
A rocket takes of (main image) the debris created by China's explosions in space (left inset).
China's space program has created thousands of pieces of space junk floating around the Earth. Source: Slingshot Aerospace/X/@CNSA Watcher

China has been accused of trashing humanity’s future in space. Just one rocket launch last month injected more than 700 pieces of space junk into one of Earth’s busiest orbital highways and they will stay in place for decades - if not centuries.

But China's planning dozens of similar launches.

And the rocket it is using has a growing history of failure.

US Space Command first confirmed the rocket breakup, initially saying it was tracking more than 300 pieces of debris larger than 10cm (the smallest orbital objects its radars can detect). It’s already keeping tabs on about 46,000 other items of space junk.

International space awareness operator LeoLabs says its Western Australia radar array had observed at least 700 objects related to the Chinese rocket.

It adds that it expected this number to rise to more than 900 as the debris cloud is more closely examined over the next six months.

It’s a high environmental price to pay for the launch of just 18 out of thousands of satellites destined to form a Chinese mega constellation to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink space-based internet service.

And it’s by no means the first time China’s Long March 6A delivery rocket has disintegrated in such a damaging fashion.

The August 6 launch was the first in an ongoing series designed to deliver 14,000 Qianfan (Thousand Sails) satellites to a relatively high low Earth orbit (LEO) of about 1160km.

Artists impression of the satellite network around the Earth that China is creating.
China is launching thousands of satellites into the atmosphere to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink internet program. Source: X/@CNSA Watcher

The rocket did the job.

But it didn’t clean up afterwards.

The upper stage broke apart at an altitude of 810km, about 13.5 hours after liftoff.

At this altitude, it will take decades - perhaps centuries - for the thin whisps of Earth’s upper atmosphere to drag the fragments back down. And as they gradually drift lower, they will enter other orbital space lanes - including those used by the International Space Station and thousands of other satellites.

All will be put at risk of collision.

And each collision will only add to the amount of dangerous junk cannoning about in space.

The European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office reports there are already about 40,500 debris pieces larger than 10cm in orbit.

It estimates there are 1.1 million between 10cm and 1cm. And 130 million between 1cm and 1mm.

A simple fleck of paint is believed to be responsible for punching an alarming divot into an armoured glass window of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.

A Chinese rocket launch.
China is already responsible for thousands of pieces of debris in the Earth's atmosphere. Source: X/@CNSA Watcher

“While Russia and the US have improved their 'rocket body abandonment behaviour' over the last 20 years, the relative contribution by other countries has grown by a factor of five and China by 50x,” LeoLabs states.

“These breakup events demonstrate why it’s critical we continue to track abandoned rocket bodies.

"Today, there are nearly 1000 abandoned rocket bodies averaging 1,500 kg each in LEO — and that number continues to grow, posing a significant risk to the space environment.”

The Long March 6A class of rocket is intended to be China’s “workhorse” for delivering up to 4.5 tonnes of cargo into the LEO.

It has so far launched seven times since being introduced to service in 2022.

It’s since established a track record of disintegrating in orbit instead of entering a controlled fall into the atmosphere where it should safely burn up.

The first such incident was seen in November 2022. The rocket’s upper stage fragmented, creating a debris cloud of more than 700 objects.

Several other smaller breakups have been detected in subsequent launches.

Why the Long March 6A has repeatedly exploded remains unknown.

The continuing incidents have been met with criticism.

“If China plans on leaving 100s of upper stages at these altitudes w mass > 1000 kg, that is... really, really, really bad,” space awareness analyst Dr Jim Shell posted to social media.

“Such recurring events demand some answers. What say you China? (Yes, the kettle is a bit black, but the silence is still not commendable).”

An artists impression of satellites orbiting the earth.
China's satellites will create a network around the Earth. Source: X/@CNSA Watcher

Beijing insists it is doing nothing wrong.

“As a responsible major country, China attaches great importance to space debris mitigation,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said a week after the event.

“We’ve made it a rule to always take space debris mitigation measures after satellites and carrier rockets complete their missions, in order to help protect the environment of the outer space and ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.”

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