Chinese rocket breaks apart after megaconstellation launch, creating cloud of space junk

[Admin]

A Chinese Long March 6A rocket broke apart shortly after launching 18 internet satellites on Aug. 7, creating a cloud of at least 300 pieces of trackable debris.

Chinese rocket breaks apart after megaconstellation launch, creating cloud of space junk : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

It would be interesting to know what the estimated lifetime in orbit these pieces of debris will have in LEO. If low, it might not be a very big issue.

I also wonder what is causing these upper stage explosions. Could it be failed attempts to deorbit the upper stages that results in RUDs at engine reignitions? Or, is it just failure to "passivate" the stages by venting residual liquids once their missions have been completed? The difference says something important about the ethics of the launching nation.

 

[TomMariner]

I am beginning to think this destruction of everything in orbit is the real aim of these Chinese launches -- in 2007 "The payload was a kinetic kill vehicle (KKV) that collided with a non-operational Chinese weather satellite, the Fengyun-1C (FY-1C), at an altitude of 863 km (534 mi), completely destroying the satellite.1 This is known as a direct ascent antisatellite (ASAT) attack, where the KKV does not enter into orbit but instead travels through space on a ballistic arc. The destruction created a cloud of more than 3,000 pieces of space debris, the largest ever tracked, and much of it will remain in orbit for decades, posing a significant collision threat to other space objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). "

Someone ought to stop countries from using space until they grow up!

 

[Classical Motion]

I’m waiting for the first chain reaction collision. And a new start up industry. Satellite armor.

With all the dodging now being required, it’s bound to happen.