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China's Anti-Satellite
SEARCH FOR LIFE Test: Worrisome Debris Cloud
Circles
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Earth

ByLeonardDavid,Space.com'sSpaceInsiderColumnist | February2,200703:39pmET

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ECLIPSE 2017

In2007,ChinadestroyedoneofitsownanagingFengyun1Cweathersatelliteviaanantisatellitetest.
Credit:FederationofAmericanScientists.

TheflotsamcreatedbyChina'santisatellitetestlastmonthisontheradarscreensofspace
debrisanalysts,aswellasspacepolicyexperts.
 TheintentionaldestructiononJan.11ofChina'sFengyun1Cweathersatelliteviaananti
NEWS TECH SPACEFLIGHT SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY
satellite(ASAT)devicelaunchedbytheChinesehascreatedamessoffragmentsfluttering
throughspace.
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Thesatellite'sdestructionisnowbeingviewedasthemostprolificandseverefragmentationin

thecourseoffivedecadesofspaceoperations.
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Lobbedintospaceatopaballisticmissile,theASATdestroyedtheweatherwatchingsatellitethat
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hadbeenorbitingEarthsinceMay10,1999[image].TheresultwaslitteringEarthorbitwith
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hundredsuponhundredsofvarioussizesofshrapnel.

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Debriscloud
NASA'sOrbitalDebrisProgramOfficeattheJohnsonSpaceCenterisnowatlibertytodiscuss
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thecharacteristicsandconsequencesofthedebriscloudcreatedbythefragmentationofthe
Fengyun1Cspacecraft.
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Asoftoday,theU.S.military'sSpaceSurveillanceNetworkhascatalogednearly600debris
fragments,accordingtoNASA'sNicholasJohnson,ChiefScientistforOrbitalDebrisatthespace
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agency'sJohnsonSpaceCenterinHouston,Texas.

ECLIPSE 2017
However,morethan300additionalfragmentsarealsobeingtracked,bringingittoatotalofmore
than900bitsofclutter."Thesewillbecatalogedinduecourse,"Johnsonadded.
"Thetotalcountoftrackedobjectscouldgoevenhigher.BaseduponthemassofFengyun1C

andtheconditionsofthebreakup,thestandardNASAmodelforestimatingthenumberof
objectsgreaterthan4inches(10centimeters)insizepredictsatotalabout950suchdebris,"
JohnsonadvisedSPACE.com.

Mostprolificandseriousfragmentation

Johnsonsaidthatthedebriscloudextendsfromlessthan125miles(200kilometers)tomore
than2,292miles(3,850kilometers),encompassingalloflowEarthorbit.Themajorityofthe
debrishavemeanaltitudesof528miles(850kilometers)orgreater,"whichmeansmostwillbe
verylonglived,"hesaid.

Thenumberofsmallerorbitaldebrisfromthisbreakupismuchhigherthanthe900plusbeing
tracked.NASAestimatesthatthenumberofdebrislargerthan1centimeterisgreaterthan
35,000bitsofriffraff.

"Anyofthesedebrishasthepotentialforseriouslydisruptingorterminatingthemissionof
operationalspacecraftinlowEarthorbit,"Johnsonpointedout."Thissatellitebreakuprepresents
themostprolificandseriousfragmentationinthecourseof50yearsofspaceoperations,"he
said.

Alsoputinharm'swaybytherainofjunkfromtheChineseASATtestistheInternationalSpace
Station(ISS).

"ThecollisionriskbetweentheFengyun1CdebriscloudandtheInternationalSpaceStation
peakedshortlyafterthebreakupandhasbeendecliningsince.Theriskofcollisionsbetween
ISSandhazardousobjectsinEarthorbitisnowonceagaindominatedbythebackgrounddebris
populationexistingpriortothebreakupofFengyun1C,"Johnsonsaid.