Risk Of Collision Increases, Analysts Are Worried About The Launch Of China's Satellite Constellation
JAKARTA Since the second half of last year, China has focused on launching the constellations of satellites Guowang and Qianfan. The construction of this megaconstellation raises concerns because of its target of thousands.
The Chinese government wants to build a constellation of communication satellites consisting of more than 10,000 satellites. In the coming years, the country will launch thousands of satellites massively. This grand plan will certainly litter Earth's Low Orbit (LEO).
Jim Shell, Space Romain Awareness Expert and Orbital Debris at Novarium Tech, explained that China would allow the top stage of its rocket to be in orbit for more than a century. If launch continues, the orbit will be filled with the top stages of rockets from China.
This will be detrimental to many, including astronauts and space agencies operating instruments or aircraft in space. The top stage left in orbit could increase the risk of a collision if not handled further.
"The mass orbital debris at LEO will be dominated by China's top stages in the near future unless something changes," Jim said via platform X. For both constellations, the top stage of the rocket is left in high orbit, generally with an orbital lifetime of more than 100 years.
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Quoting from the Spacenews report, the President Director of Security and Space Stability Secure World Foundation Victoria Samson also considered that the Guowang megaconstellation would harm the world. In fact, this launch is considered 'very irresponsible'.
The reason is, whenever China launches a satellite into space, the top stage of its rocket will be left at an altitude of 700km to 800km. Compared to maintaining this bad habit, Samson advised the Chinese government to fix its launch system.
"It's not good for anyone who wants to continue to benefit from using space. Pieces of debris at that altitude will last for years," said Samson. "There's still time to fix it before it becomes a serious danger."