Space collision: Chinese satellite got whacked by hunk of Russian rocket in March *****JFA3mxl16Q pic.twitter.com/ajiNChk5wR
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) August 17, 2021
#18SPCS has confirmed the breakup of YUNHAI 1-02 (#44547, 2019-063A), which occurred on March 18, 2021, at 0741 UTC. Tracking 21 associated pieces – analysis is ongoing. #spaceflightsafety #spacedebris @spacetrackorg
— 18 SPCS (@18SPCS) March 22, 2021
So where did this debris object come from? The large 9-tonne Zenit second stages in the higher part of LEO have long been identified as a major source of collision risk. But this wasn't the stage itself but a piece that came off it. Let's look at the objects from this 1996 launch
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) August 15, 2021
G,H, J, K, L appear to have come off at launch. G and H must be fairly dense and their orbits have not decayed much. J, K and L were light things that have now reentered. pic.twitter.com/LUsV42UZHz
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) August 15, 2021
We don't have enough data on object Q to say much about it. (Yeah, ok, make all your jokes about Q being anonymous. Just don't @ me with them.)
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) August 15, 2021
Nevertheless, even small things can cause serious damage when they hit your satellite at orbital velocity, as this incident shows.
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) August 15, 2021
Goodnight!
今年 3 月，美国太空部队第 18 太空控制中队（SPCS）发现中国卫星“云海一号 02 星”在轨道解体，共计裂成 21 个碎片，原因不明。现在根据哈佛天体物理学家 Jonathan McDowell 调查结果，发现这颗卫星毁于太空垃圾重击，可惜它升空还不到 2 年。
云海一号是中国研发用于大气海洋环境探测、空间环境探测、防灾和科学试验等目的的一系列卫星，2016 年发射首颗卫星“云海一号 01 星”，2019 年再发射第二颗卫星“云海一号 02 星”。 然而今年 3 月 18 日，发射入轨仅一年半的云海一号 02 星被美国第 18 太空控制中队发现解体残骸，它在高空发生了什么事？
现在 Jonathan McDowell 调查表明，云海一号 02 星极可能被轨道一块太空垃圾重击，后者来自 1996 年 9 月发射俄罗斯 Tselina-2 间谍卫星的 Zenit-2 火箭。碎片编号 48078 今年 3 月才新增至太空垃圾目录，约 10~50 厘米宽。
3 月 18 日美东时间凌晨 3 点 41 分左右，云海一号 02 星和碎片相距不到 1 公里，因此 Jonathan McDowell 合理怀疑云海一号 02 星就是被这块碎片击中。
（科技新报）