Russian space debris came within 47 feet of knocking out a Chinese satellite, Beijing claims

Space debris from a Russian anti-satellite missile test came within 47 feet of knocking out China's Tsinghua science satellite this week, Beijing claims. According to experts, the space debris from the collision over the Atlantic Ocean – which included 'some 1,500 pieces of trackable size' – will cause havoc for spacecraft for years, if not decades. The Long March 2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center successfully put the Tsinghua Science Satellite and the Gaofen-9 04 satellite into orbit Space debris from the collision over the Atlantic Ocean – which included 'some 1,500 pieces of trackable size' – will cause havoc for spacecraft for years, if not decades SCIENTISTS REVEAL PLANS TO TRANSFORM SPACE JUNK INTO ROCKET FUEL Scientists have revealed plans to transform space junk - debris in Earth's orbit - into rocket fuel and set up a 'gas station in space'. LeoLabs said in October that Cosmos 1408 and the dead Chinese Chang Zheng 4C rocket had a 10 per cent chance of colliding, although the two ended up narrowly avoid collision by just 36 feet Fragments of space debris as small as a centimetre have the potential to completely destroy satellites because of the speed at which they travel.