Chinese mega satellite launch creates space debris field
- August 8, 2024
- 0
During the launch of the first batch of communications satellites in China, more than 50 pieces of debris were created that could threaten spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
During the launch of the first batch of communications satellites in China, more than 50 pieces of debris were created that could threaten spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Long March 6A It was launched from a specially constructed launch pad at the Taiyuan Cosmodrome on August 6. The rocket’s upper stage, modified for multiple satellite relaunch and deployment, placed 18 Qianfan (“Thousand Sails”) or G60 flat-panel satellites for Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) into a polar orbit at an altitude of about 800 kilometers.
These satellites are the first of a planned mega-constellation of more than 14,000 communications satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), but the mission appears to have created a number of debris along its orbital path, according to observations from space surveillance and data analytics company Slingshot Aerospace.
“Composite images from Slingshot’s Horus LEO-focused optical fence show a series of bright, unexpected objects moving along the same orbital path as the rocket body and the G60 satellites it deploys,” Slingshot Aerospace said in a statement.
According to the firm, the incident includes more than 50 pieces of debris that currently pose a threat to LEO constellations below 800 km.
“These unsupervised detections allowed Slingshot to perform additional tasks on these objects to gather more detailed information that would support further tracking and characterization of the objects.”
The U.S. Space Force Tracking – Space (S4S) has confirmed the failure of the Long March 6A rocket stage. “The crash likely occurred at 15:48 UTC on August 7. Traceable components are included in routine assessments of the link to support space flight safety. There is currently no threat to human spaceflight. Analysis is ongoing,” the message reads.
At such altitudes, where atmospheric drag is very low, space debris can remain in orbit for decades or longer, depending on the size, density, and other variables of the debris. Any collision with the spacecraft could cause serious damage and likely create additional debris traveling at about 7.5 kilometers per second, or 27,000 kilometers per hour.
The debris event is the latest of many to affect the summit of Long March 6A, with numerous debris discovered and reported by Swiss firm S2a Systems in early July. Space NewsThe Shanghai State Academy of Space Technology (SAST), which designed and built the rocket, has not yet responded to a request for comment on the earlier incident. Meanwhile, the 6A Long March upper stage meltdown in November 2022 produced hundreds of pieces of debris.
Our first visual observations of some of the CZ-6A upper stage debris from the launch of 18 G60 satellites. It is a large debris field. Many thanks for publishing the orbital data. @sling_shot_aero. @shell_jim pic.twitter.com/x3xPfp1Zu3
— s2a systems (@s2a_systems) August 8, 2024
SSST plans to launch 90 more satellites this year, according to previous announcements. The dossier submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) includes plans for the first phase, which will use 36 polar orbital planes, each containing 36 satellites, for a total of 1,296 spacecraft. The overall plan includes more than 14,000 satellites. It is not known which launch pads the satellites will fly on. However, the potential frequent use of Long March 6A is a concern.
“If even a fraction of the launches required to launch this Chinese mega-constellation produce as much debris as this first launch, the result will be an irreversible increase in the space debris population in LEO,” said Audrey Shaffer, vice president of strategy and policy. Space News .
“Events like this underscore the importance of following existing space debris prevention guidelines to reduce the generation of new space debris and underscore the need for robust space awareness capabilities to rapidly detect, track and catalog newly launched space objects so they can be detected and checked for potential connections.”
The G60, or Thousand Sail SSST, is just one of the mega-constellations China is planning in response to Starlink. In the future, the national Guowang project (“national network”) of 13,000 satellites is also expected to be launched.
Headquartered in Shanghai, SSST is considered the Chinese side of the former Sino-German project of the KLEO Connect group. The Sino-European joint venture has ended in hostility and ongoing lawsuits. Meanwhile, American technology firm Rivada plans to use the frequencies previously allocated to KLEO Connect for its own group.
Shanghai is pursuing its own commercial space action plan, of which Thousand Sails is just one aspect. Part of the initiative also includes embedding companies focused on next-generation reusable medium and large launch vehicles. In order for China to build the planned mega-constellations, it will need additional launch power from reusable commercial launch vehicles.
China currently has more than 800 satellites in orbit, according to officials at the China National Space Administration. China’s state-owned prime space contractor and parent company SAST aims to launch more than 290 spacecraft in about 70 launches this year. Launches by commercial startups will add to those numbers.
Source: Port Altele
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