The April 19 launch of 6 classified [Chinese] satellites into Sun-synchronous orbit via a Long March 6A rocket has reinforced concerns over long-lived space debris. The mission’s upper stage was left in a 834 by 990 km orbit—where atmospheric drag is minimal & natural deorbiting could take over a century. https://spacenews.com/china-report-debris-risks-startup-funding-and-previewing-space-day/
While Shiyan-27 was a standalone mission, the use of rockets such as the Long March 6A and Long March 8 series for China’s two, 10,000-plus satellite megaconstellations could mean a proliferation of such debris. “There will be some 1,000+ PRC [People’s Republic of China] launches over the next several years deploying these constellations,” says Jim Shell, a space domain awareness and orbital debris expert at Novarum Tech. “For both constellations, the rocket upper stages are being left in high altitude orbits—generally with orbital lifetimes greater than 100 years.”
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Space is a World-wide commons. And we need to protect it from the #KesslerSyndrome before it's too late and space is permanently cut off to humanity.
This replication of function in multiple mega constellations of satellites all serving the same purpose is bonkers.
