Analyst on China's spent rocket stages: "Things only continue to get worse"
3 hours ago
- #Space Sustainability
- #China Space Program
- #Rocket Debris
- China's orbital rocket launches surged from under 20 annually a decade ago to a record 93 in recent years, making it the world's second-most productive space power.
- Rapid growth in launch activity is driven by both state-owned and private companies, mirroring trends seen in the United States and SpaceX.
- A major concern is China's disregard for established norms in disposing of rocket upper stages, which are parts that propel payloads into orbit.
- Historically, spacefaring nations like the Soviet Union and the U.S. neglected upper stages, leaving them in orbit for decades before gravitational pull brings them down.
- Over the past 20 years, most countries and private companies have adopted more responsible disposal practices to mitigate space debris risks.
- Russia remains the biggest offender, with about 800 metric tons of rocket bodies in long-lived orbits, while the U.S. has around 57 metric tons; these amounts are stable or slowly decreasing.