China rocket launch creates cloud of space debris in low-Earth orbit

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. CNN — One of China’s Long March 6A rockets has broken apart in low-Earth orbit and created a debris cloud consisting of hundreds of pieces, according to multiple space debris-tracking entities. ‘A significant hazard’ It is believed that the rocket broke apart at 503 miles above Earth’s surface, and the debris poses “a significant hazard to constellations” below 497 miles altitude, according to Slingshot. Slingshot’s Horus sensor systems, which provide satellite tracking in low-Earth orbit, “detected a series of bright, unexpected objects moving along the same orbital path as the rocket body and the G60 satellites it deployed.” The true risks of the debris cloud won’t be known until experts have a chance to analyze it fully, which could take another day or so. Another Long March 6A rocket body exploded in a region of low-Earth orbit densely populated by satellites on November 12, 2022, and the resulting 500-plus debris fragments were distributed between 198 miles and 932 miles and increased the collision risk with satellites, especially at the center of the debris cloud, according to LeoLabs.