China creates space debris with initial launch for ambitious internet satellite network

After delivering the first 18 satellites for the Qianfan Constellation project, the upper stage of the Long March 6A rocket broke apart, the US Space Command reports

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This Long March 6A rocket, which launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on Tuesday,
reportedly created a cloud of space debris after delivering the first satellites for a global internet network. Photo: CCTV

Published: 1:44am, 10 Aug 2024Updated: 2:21pm, 10 Aug 2024

China’s first launch of its equivalent of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network has scattered hundreds of pieces of space debris, the United States Space Command (USSC) has reported.

The Long March 6A rocket which took off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on Tuesday delivered the first 18 satellites of the Qianfan Constellation project into low-Earth orbit, the start of an ambitious 14,000-satellite broadband network to rival Starlink.

Soon after the delivery, though, the upper stage of the launch vehicle that had propelled payloads into orbit broke apart and created a cloud of debris of “over 300 pieces of trackable debris in low-Earth orbit”, the USSC said on Thursday.

The “trackable debris” only counted pieces at least 10cm (3.9 inches) in diameter and did not include shards that were too small to monitor. Space debris could cause danger to spacecraft in the same orbit and are difficult to clear.

The command said that it had “observed no immediate threats and continues to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain”.

It was not the first disintegration of a Long March 6A rocket in space after a successful delivery since its introduction in 2022.

During a mission in November 2022, the upper stage of the new-generation medium-lift launch vehicles fell apart, dispersing 533 pieces of trackable debris as of January 2023, according to a report by Nasa.