--- title: "China's satellite collides with Russian anti-satellite missile test debris" description: "Russia has denied that the space junk represents a threat." author: "Vallabha Buddepu" published: 2022-01-21 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/1281/china-s-satellite-collides-with-russian-anti-satellite-missile-test-debris category: "space and research" tags: ["satellite assembly", "technology news", "moon", "space science"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # China's satellite collides with Russian anti-satellite missile test debris ## HIGHLIGHTS Russia brushed aside the worries. Anti-satellite weapons are high-[tech](https://www.mindstick.com/services/technologies) missiles that only a few countries have. This was the fourth time a spacecraft was struck from the ground. ## WHY IN NEWS According to official media, a Chinese satellite came dangerously close to colliding with one of the several bits of debris left by the fallout of a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test. In November, Moscow detonated a missile that blew up one of its ageing [satellites](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2194/on-october-20-watch-as-spacex-launches-54-starlink-satellites-and-lands-a-rocket), causing international outrage due to the [space debris](https://www.mindstick.com/news/1541/space-debris-of-china-rocket-found-in-rural-maharashtra-india) it strewn throughout the Earth's orbit. Officials from the [United States](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2228/the-united-states-claims-seagate-broke-export-laws-by-selling-huawei-hard-drives) accused Moscow of launching a 'dangerous and reckless' strike that resulted in a cloud of debris and compelled the crew of the [International Space](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/114598/how-does-the-international-space-station-iss-benefit-from-nasa-s-research) Station to take evasive action. **read more :** https://tinyurl.com/y2cjkmxa Russia disregarded their fears and claimed that space debris was a threat, but a recent event involving a Chinese satellite reveals otherwise. China's Tsinghua Science Satellite got as near as 14.5 metres to a piece of debris in the most recent encounter , [According to the report](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/38115/according-to-the-report-released-by-the-ministry-of-environment-forests-and-climate-change-on-august-12-what-is-the-total-estimated-number-of-elephants-in-india), the 'very hazardous' occurrence occurred on Tuesday, citing a [social media](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13056/how-to-leverage-social-media-to-attract-lots-of-blog-traffic) post by Chinese space officials that has since been removed. According to space debris specialist Liu Jing, it was unusual for debris and spacecraft to be barely a dozen metres away, and the likelihood of collision this time was 'extremely high,' which should have prompted evasive action. **read more :** https://tinyurl.com/33w7kc86 Anti-satellite weapons are high-tech missiles that only a few countries have, and the move has sparked fears of a growing space [arms race](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/88126/how-a-brahmos-missile-game-changer-puts-india-ahead-in-global-arms-race), which might include everything from laser weapons to satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit. The test was the fourth time a spacecraft was attacked from the ground, and more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris were created. Last year, the Chinese [space station](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/87410/indian-space-station-chandrayaan-4-plans-ready-for-govt-approval-isro) collided with satellites owned by [Elon Musk](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/85512/elon-musk-mark-zuckerberg-two-business-tycoon-of-similar-age)'s SpaceX, prompting Beijing to accuse the US of reckless and dangerous behaviour in orbit. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/1281/china-s-satellite-collides-with-russian-anti-satellite-missile-test-debris Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.