Chinese Zhuque-2E Rocket Breakup Creates Debris Near Starlink Constellation
The upper stage of a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket broke apart shortly after its June 9 launch, generating an estimated 100 to 150 pieces of debris. This incident occurred in a busy region of low-Earth orbit, an area also utilized by the International Space Station and lower-altitude Starlink satellites. While most fragments are expected to reenter the atmosphere within months, the event is considered by experts to be part of a worsening trend of China contributing to space junk, particularly as its launch rate increases.
A Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket's upper stage broke apart shortly after its launch on June 9, according to reports. This incident is believed to have generated between 100 and 150 pieces of debris in a low-Earth orbit (LEO) region that is also traversed by the International Space Station (ISS) and Starlink satellites operating at lower altitudes. Atmospheric drag is expected to cause most of these fragments to reenter Earth's atmosphere within months.
The US Space Force confirmed the breakup event via space-track.org, a platform for public orbit data distribution. The Space Force stated that the tracked pieces are being incorporated into routine conjunction assessments to support spaceflight safety, adding that there are currently no threats to human spaceflight, with analysis ongoing. The debris fragments have not yet been added to the official catalog of human-made space objects.
Experts suggest that the Zhuque-2E breakup contributes to a growing problem of space debris, as China increasingly leaves large rocket bodies in orbit amidst an expanding launch schedule. While Russia and the former Soviet Union historically account for the largest share of long-lived, launch-related orbital debris, followed by China and the United States, Russian and American figures are either declining or stable. Conversely, the mass of Chinese rocket bodies in these long-lived orbits has increased by over 150 percent in the last five years, according to an analysis by Space Domain Awareness expert Jim Shell.
This increase coincides with China's accelerated launch rate for its own megaconstellations, which are designed to compete with SpaceX's Starlink. Rocket bodies are considered significant sources of space debris due to their substantial size and mass, often containing residual propellant and high-pressure gases that can lead to explosions. Once abandoned in orbit after payload release, these bodies cannot be maneuvered or disposed of.
McKnight, an expert, characterized the recent Zhuque-2E breakup as a "slight space safety issue," but highlighted the negative trend. China's Long March 6A rocket, for instance, has been involved in two explosions that created more than 1,000 debris fragments in a higher-altitude LEO, where they are projected to remain for decades or centuries. McKnight further noted that three of the top four breakup events in LEO are of Chinese origin, with two of these being Chinese rocket body explosions in the past four years.
(Source: Slashdot)
